The First
by hyperpsychomaniac
Summary: Baelfire finds himself in a strange world. He can survive here, he knows. He isn't afraid. But he also knows he will never, ever, see his father again.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n:** This started out as a one shot. But then it turned into a sort of prologue. I know what happens next chapter... but not really after that, but lets just see how it goes. Also, as America apparently gets the next season by the end of September (at which time I'm going to piss off, because I live in Australia and do not wish to be spoiled) I'm going to attempt to finish this by then. Not sure if that will happen, especially since I don't know what happens and therefore don't know how long it will take... but here goes anyway. Please review. :)

* * *

In a single flash his whole world changed. The force had thrown him to the ground, face first in the leaf litter. He pushed himself shakily to his knees. It was dark, a dimly moonlit night. He had materialised in a forest. It did not look that different from the forest he'd come from, not in shape or form at least. But something in the air, the change in temperature and humidity, told him this place was not familiar. It was not his home; it wasn't even his world.

Baelfire rolled over and faced the crater that marked his entry point. He'd been thrown a good few feet away, but it was impossible to miss where the magic had knifed a pinprick into the fabric of this world. A crater marked the spot, and every loose bit of leaves and dirt had been thrown clear, piled up in a ring at roughly the distance Bae had been tossed.

"Papa…" the boy called out. His voice sounded strange. Weak and small; wavering like a child younger than he. Bae cleared his throat and called again. His voice did not come out much stronger. As his second attempt was swallowed by the stagnant night air, he knew. His father had not come with him. He'd known before he'd even crossed, seconds before, when he was too far down that hole to have any hope of hauling himself out again. Screaming at his father to let go of the knife hadn't worked either. But then he'd known that too.

Bae stared at the small crater, his chest shuddering as he drew in air. Perhaps there was still some way back. He stood shakily to his feet, feeling queasy. Apparently jumping between worlds was not something his stomach had been prepared for. He stumbled to the craters edge. Nothing. No light and no sound. He sunk to his knees and ran a hand over the bare patch of rock hard dirt, in case he'd missed something in the darkness.

Still nothing. Bae felt tears building behind his eyes. "All you had to do was let go of the knife! It wasn't that hard!" As he screamed out the words, raw and ragged at the night air, he knew that wasn't quite true. For his father, letting go had been the hardest thing Bae could have asked him to do. He should have seen it sooner. He should have realised it was so hard, his father would sooner let his son cross over alone. A sob broke from Bae's throat. "You promised! We… we had a deal!"

Baelfire hung his head, wiping a hand across his eyes and stifling another sob. He drew in a shuddering breath and forced himself to stand to his feet. He wrapped his arms about himself, though the night was warm. Briefly, he considered waiting. But he knew the portal would not reactivate. Bae forced himself to turn his back on the crater, picked a direction at random and walked away.

It did not take long before a break in the trees and a sharp drop in the earth brought him to a halt. Bae would have rather kept walking without thought, but if he was to survive here he really needed to get his thoughts together. Bae shuffled to the edge, his heart not quite in it. He let his gaze wander down the slope over the dark forest, but it was instantly arrested by the village that sprawled out below him.

It must have been a village. But it was like none Bae had ever seen before. No, it had to be bigger than just a village. A kingdom, perhaps, though he could see no central castle. This 'village' was huge and sprawling. And instead of the muted, yellow candlelight glow that would normally mark a place of habitation, the lights were stark cold and white. They shone out in bright little pinpricks, the white interspersed with reds and greens that flickered on and off.

Bae forgot about his father for the briefest of moments, his attention solely caught up in those lights. What was this place? The obvious answer was simple: it wasn't his world. His heart was pounding, but mixed with his fear was a sense of curiosity. He was drawn to it, and though cautious, Bae knew that this was where he must go.

His father wouldn't. His father would be frightened. A deep sense of sadness washed over Bae, his wonder vanishing. He'd give anything right now just have his father by his side, even if it meant he had to convince him that it would be okay to go and see this strange sight. But by his father's own choice, he'd made that impossible. Facing those lights alone still scared Bae a little. He would not have come here except to save his father! He'd given up his whole world. And for what? It was not just fear, Bae realised; his father would rather have his power than his son. "You couldn't even turn down the deal…" For the first time that night, Bae's anger at his father built to a greater level than his sadness.

Bae found himself sliding down the slope. He was lucky he didn't hurt himself, so great a rush was he in to just get moving again and stop thinking about his father. He landed on firmer ground, pushed himself up, and kept walking. He knew he was headed towards those lights, though he only caught an occasional glow through the trees.

Bae knew had he wanted there would be no chance for him to help his father again. He had to concentrate on surviving here. And that meant heading towards habitation. He couldn't afford to slow or stop. If only because he'd think about his father abandoning him and give into despair. He was never going to see his father again.

For what felt like hours, Bae continued on through the dimly lit forest. Eventually, inevitably, he came upon a road. But this too was strange. It was wide, and cut through the treeline like a knife. He could see stars dimly above. The trees did not close about over this road, as if they had been ever forbidden from taking back what once was theirs. The roads surface wasn't dirt or cobblestone, but some dark, hard, seamless stone.

Whatever differences, this was still a road, and it would surely lead to the strangely lit city. Bae stepped onto the road surface and continued on. Fear crept in. As he'd walked through the woods he'd been able to pretend he was still in his world, but out here, it was impossible. And what was he to do when he reached the strange city? Again, thoughts of his father rose unbidden in his mind. Perhaps he would now be suggesting they get off this strange road? Bae winced as he realised he'd given into thoughts of his father again. "You're. Never. Going to see. Him again." His words chilled him to the bone. Who would save his father now? "And you'll never see me again…" Who had really lost more? But his father had made the choice. Not him. When he'd realised what was going to happen it was too late to escape the portals pull. Father's weren't supposed to let their sons go. Bae drew to a halt in the middle of the road, suddenly unable to work up the energy to take another step. "Papa… I never intended to do this alone…"

Through his grief Bae vaguely became aware of a sound. Like an insect, buzzing, but far too loud. The trees were illuminated suddenly by a wave of pure white light. The buzz became a roar. Bae spun around.

A creature rushed towards him, blinding him with a cold flame and letting out an almighty screech. Bae fell to the ground as the creature leapt upon him. Almost. It drew to an abrupt halt inches in front of Bae's face. The boy squinted up at the chugging, growling beast.

"Oh my God!"

A figure materialised at the edge of the light. Human, definitely. Bae's racing heart began to slow. Apparently the beast was tame.

"Sweetheart, are you hurt? What are you doing out here all alone?"

"Walking…" Baelfire managed to say.

The figure moved in front of the light and knelt down besides Bae. Now he could see her more clearly. She was darked skinned, and dressed oddly. But her face appeared kind, if her expression a little shocked. "In the middle of the road?"

"Where else would I walk?" Finding himself a bit more confident now, Bae stood shakily to his feet.

The woman stood with him, placing a hang on his shoulder as she made sure he wouldn't go back down.

Something slammed sharply. Bae jumped, bumping back against the woman.

"Alice… is he alright?" A man stood on the other side of the creature now. No, Bae realised. The creature was some sort of carriage. But what hauled it? Maybe there was some creature inside the front, where all the growling was coming from.

"I think so," said Alice.

The man was taller and older than Alice. He wore the same clothes, or uniform. So they were some sort of palace guard? Or knights or soldiers?

"My name's Derek," said the man. "This is Alice. And what about you, kid?"

"My name's Baelfire. Bae."

"That's a pretty name," Alice commented.

"You really shouldn't be out here all alone, Bae," said Derek. "We could have killed you just now. Where were you going?"

"I was trying to find the city with the strange lights…"

Alice and Derek both exchanged glances.

"You mean into town?" said Derek. He looked Bae over. "How long have you been out here, son?"

"Well…"

"We'll take you," said Alice. "We were just heading back from a patrol; we're heading back home now."

Bae opened his mouth to protest; these two were far more helpful than any soldiers he'd ever met. Far more interested in some peasant on the road, but that could have just been how this world was, he told himself. And he suddenly realised he was exhausted. He didn't have the strength to argue within himself.

"Yeah…" Bae shrugged. "Thanks… I guess I could use some help…"

Alice smiled and showed him to the rear door of the carriage. Inside was far more comfortable than what Bae would have thought would normally be provided for a couple of soldiers. The carriage leapt forward suddenly and Bae grasped the door. "Woah…"

Alice looked over her shoulder. "You okay?"

"I didn't think it'd go so fast…" Bae released his grip on the door handle. Though fast, after the initial jerk subsided, the ride was actually really smooth. He leaned back against the seat, and rested his head against the window. Everything was moving past in a blur. Between that and the steady vibration that came from the hidden beast, it was actually rather calming.

Derek cleared his throat. "So, Bae. Are your folks somewhere in town? We should really find where you belong…"

His father. Bae felt the sadness well up inside him. "No. I don't have anyone. Not here. I don't know where I belong…" Exhaustion must have taken its toll then, because Bae didn't remember any more of the trip.


	2. Chapter 2: Twenty Questions

Baelfire shot upright, a shrill, incessant beeping knifing into his unconscious mind. For the briefest of moments, he couldn't remember where he was. Then his living room came into focus. He'd fallen asleep on the sofa again. He'd been dreaming, he realised. Of being alone, abandoned, wandering through the woods. Technically, it was a memory. He hadn't had that dream for a while.

With a frustrated sigh the man swung his legs onto the floor, wiping his hands across his face to clear the sleep. "Wake up, Ben. You're not there anymore. Ben," he repeated, as if saying his chosen name would ground him in the right timeframe. He was Benjamin Thatch, thirty-two. He had a job, and an apartment. He didn't think about that other world anymore. And his watch was still beeping.

Ben slapped at his wrist, silencing the alarm. He stared at the clock-face. "Shit…" He also had a date. And he was going to be late.

After five minutes of dashing about his apartment, Ben managed to find something respectable to wear. The next stop was the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror. His hair was ruffled, the short, brown locks were getting scraggily and he was probably in need of a haircut soon. He ran his fingers through his hair and decided it would pass. He angled his chin at the mirror. The five o'clock shadow could probably stay too. He retrieved a bottle of after shave from under the sink and tossed a bit on, and then he was headed out his apartment door and barrelling into the lift.

He jogged down the street, deciding it'd be quicker than waiting for a bus. He quickly checked his wrist watch; he wouldn't be very late if he hurried. Ben had not been on a date in a few months, probably due to the general apathy and occasional confusion he felt for the whole process. Most of the time it seemed that finding true love, what Ben would have thought would be the point of going out to dinner with the opposite sex, was not the ultimate objective. Perhaps it happened, but when it did it was more like a bonus. The point seemed to be to enjoy the moment, that one date, and anything that came immediately after.

But this woman had piqued his interest. She didn't seem like some of the women he'd been out with when he'd first started the strange custom of dating, a few of whom had tossed their drinks on him. She seemed like someone he could spend a pleasant evening with, if nothing more. When she'd brought her beat up yellow Volkswagen into the mechanics shop where he worked, needing a headlamp fixed (and far more besides, though she'd refused) they'd gotten to talking. She'd asked him to dinner, and despite his usual apprehension about going on a date, he hadn't hesitated to accept.

"There you are."

"Sorry…" Ben was drawing in deep breaths when he got to the restaurant. "I got a bit held up." He looked the woman up and down. She was wearing a black dress, her blond hair falling over her shoulders. "Emma Swan, wow. You look beautiful."

Emma smiled, and Ben couldn't help but feel relieved she wasn't upset at his tardiness. "You don't look so bad yourself. Even without all the grease… hang on…" She reached up and straightened his collar. "You forgot didn't you?"

"No… fell asleep…"

"Come on, you're not that late. They'll still have our table."

The two sat down and ordered some wine and food.

"So," said Emma as she took a sip of her wine. "Where do you want to start?"

"I'll be honest… haven't been on a date in a few months." Ben gave a half shrug.

Emma grinned. "Okay, well that makes me feel special. Alright, we'll start with something easy. Twenty questions?"

Ben tried to supress a wince. He wasn't out of the game enough to not know what that was. Sometimes it could be good, sometimes bad. It usually depended on whether his date was more interested in what he was doing now, or about his childhood. "Alright." That didn't mean he was going to chicken out though. "You start then."

Emma studied her wine for a second, chewing her lip. "Well, I already know you're a mechanic. What made you choose that?"

An easy question. Ben felt himself relax a little. Of course, it was only the first. "It is just a job. But I suppose when I was younger I had this weird notion that cars had some sort of creature inside them. All that growling and rumbling… when I got under the hood of one, saw the engine and realised it wasn't alive, I wanted to figure out how it works. So when I was old enough to work, well, old enough to be allowed to work, I got an apprenticeship."

Emma smiled. "That's just a little bit cute… so was it your father that showed you the engine?"

Ben cleared his throat. "Hey, my turn."

Emma leaned back in her chair and gestured for him to continue.

"You haven't even told me what you do. So I suppose, what and why?"

"I'm a private investigator. I find people."

"Oh, wow, that's definitely more interesting than a mechanic."

"Yeah, well I was abandoned as a child. Didn't know who my parents were… I started doing this because I wanted to help other people find those they'd lost… but I found my parents again recently."

Ben smiled slightly. "I'm glad you found them."

"Me too," Emma looked him straight in the eye. "So what about your folks?"

Ben crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. "I'd rather not…"

"It is my turn." Emma raised an eyebrow.

Well, this was turning out to be far from pleasant. Somehow, Emma had switched on an intense interest, and Ben didn't know why. Normally no one was as interested in the answers to the twenty questions as Emma now seemed to be. "Fine." He shook his head. "My mother left when I was young. My father…" here he trailed off, his mouth opening a few times as he searched for the correct words. Finally he sighed. "My father abandoned me too. There, you happy?"

"Have you ever thought of finding them again?"

Ben couldn't help but smile slightly. Perhaps her interest only arose from the need to stir up some business for herself. He couldn't quite hold that against her; but he couldn't help her either. "No. That would be quite impossible."

"So they're dead?"

"No. It's complicated. It's just impossible."

"I've got a confession, Ben."

"Yeah?"

"I'm on an investigation right now."

Ben frowned. "So I'm just a decoy…" He looked over his shoulder, seeing if he could spot anyone that looked as if they should be being stalked by this woman. When he turned back around, Emma was still looking right at him, her elbows on the table, chin resting on her hands. "Wait, you mean me?"

"Bingo."

"For who?"

"Your father."

Ben stared at her for a long moment, dumbfounded .Then a smile slowly started to form on his face. He laughed. "Emma, sweetheart, I'm sorry. But you've got the wrong man."

"Really?" Still she stared at him.

"Yes! When I said it was impossible, I meant it! You could not possibly have been hired by my father. Look, whatever you're trying to do for this man, is great. I hope you find his son. But he's not me."

"Baelfire."

Ben blinked. "So you found that much out? That was a name I used when I was found. It's probably not even my real name; I was young I probably just made it up. That proves nothing."

"Alright then," Emma leaned back. "Then prove I'm wrong…"

"I don't think that's how it works…"

"Go on…"

Ben sighed. He really didn't need this. He didn't want to think about his father. Or any of it. At least he knew that Emma Swan was wrong. The only problem was that she didn't seem to know it, and she was bloody tenacious. Then a thought struck him, something that he had never, ever, in his time in this world mentioned. It could not possibly exist in any piece of the mountainous, unnecessary paperwork that had been generated to prove he existed here. Something her investigation could not possibly have turned up. "The man who asked you to find his son; did he tell you his name?"

"Yes."

"His real name?"

Emma smiled. "Sure of it."

"Alright," Ben leaned forward onto the table, mirroring Emma's intensity. "Tell me his name."

Emma looked him right in the eye, leaned in and whispered: "Rumpelstiltskin."

* * *

"Not again…Hey! Ben, get back here!" Emma couldn't believe it. With an exasperated sigh she stood to her feet and followed the man out into the night air. She should have expected this. They always ran! Well, the runaway husbands, mostly. She couldn't quite remember how many grown, missing children she'd tracked down. Usually they were grateful and that was what she had been expecting. Of course, she hadn't actually asked Rumpelstiltskin what had happened between him and his son. It wasn't like she was getting paid for this particular job, which, technically, wasn't even her job anymore.

It had been late one night, not very long after Regina had been ousted, the curse had been broken, and that strange cloud had washed over Storybrooke. The cloud that had brought back magic, sporadically, thankfully, and luckily it hadn't seemed to give any of the inhabitants a sudden, exponential increase in power. This would have made her job as sheriff a hell of a lot harder. Not yet, anyway. Emma suspected the incident with the small time witch in the main street, who had attempted to turn a rival into a dust, and had instead turned herself into a small fluffy duck, may have had something to do with that. Apparently magic didn't work quite the same way in this world, and no one was yet game to test this to any great extent. At least, that's what Emma hoped. She had been working late when Rumpelstiltskin sauntered into her office, as if he owned the place (which technically he did). Emma had been none too pleased to see him.

"_You've got a lot of nerve coming in here," she growled, looking up from her paperwork. "After what you nearly did to Henry…"_

"_I did nothing to you son, Miss Swan. He's fine now, isn't he?"_

"_No thanks to you. He could have…"_

"_But you fixed that, didn't you? True love's kiss, and all that. I knew you'd come through."_

"_I really don't appreciate being used when my son was about to die, whatever confidence you had in me. And I'd like to know what you ended up doing with that magic you had me retrieve…"_

_Rumpelstiltskin smiled, leaning on his cane. "Another time, maybe. I'm here on business…"_

"_Fine, let's get this over with. What business?"_

"_I've come to collect…"_

"_Collect what?" she said, tossing her hands in the air. She was too tired to really think straight. "Is there some rent or something I have to pay you to keep working in this…"_

"_Not rent," Rumpelstiltskin snapped, a hint of anger in his voice. "You owe me a favour, remember?"_

_Emma's blood ran cold. She'd dreaded this moment. "Alright…" She stood to her feet and faced Rumpelstiltskin, folding her arms across her chest as if bracing herself. "Out with it then…"_

_Rumpelstiltskin looked her up and down, a bemused, but somewhat sad smile crossing his face. "Are you that convinced that I'm going to ask for something dreadful?"_

"_You've given me no reason to think otherwise."_

_Rumpelstiltskin sighed and shook his head._

"_Well…?"_

"_Miss Swan…" he paused, and for a brief moment Emma saw hesitation cross his face. He looked away, swallowed hard, but when he looked her back in the eye his gaze was steady, and Emma knew his next words were sincere. "I need your help to find my son."_

So here she was, doing what she used to do. Including chasing some scared witless man down the street. Or not. As she exited the restaurant she caught sight of Ben, sitting on a nearby bench with his head in his hands. Understandably, he'd just needed some fresh air. Emma winced. Perhaps she could have been a little gentler in her delivery. "Are you alright?" she asked, sitting down beside him on the bench.

Ben drew in a breath and lifted his head. His skin was pale. "No… not… not really. How did he… you're sure of this?"

"Yes."

"But… how did he get over here? I thought I'd never see him again!" A smile crossed the man's face, and he briefly seemed caught between breaking down and bursting out laughing. Well, Emma thought, that was an interesting reaction.

"He's not the only one that's come over from your world. There was a curse… look, it's a long story. But basically now the curse is broken, and for some reason Rumpelstiltskin thought now was a good time to start looking for you… he…. 'hired' me." Emma shrugged. "And now I've found you."

Ben shook his head. "I thought I'd never see him again," he repeated. "I… did he tell you how I got here?"

"No…" said Emma, leaning in. Ben seemed ecstatic, if still a little shaken up. Perhaps she could glean some useful information about Rumpelstiltskin. He'd been a worry before, but with magic's return, Emma was sure he was now downright dangerous.

"My father was under a curse, back in the other world. It made him… he used it to help people, but also to do terrible things. I made a deal with him – if I could find a way to break his curse without killing him, that he'd do it, no matter what it was. I found a way to come to this world – a world without magic. His curse would have no hold here. I opened up a gateway, and…" Here Ben trailed off, losing some of his momentum. "He was supposed to come through with me. He promised…" The man gritted his teeth, but pushed on. "But he didn't come through. He was too scared."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Scared?"

"Yeah. He was scared of living without his newfound power, I suppose. And I suppose that's why he let me go. He let me fall through that hole… and I woke up here alone. I did it for him, and he let me go…"

"You would have been the first one here, all by yourself. Good God…" Emma shook her head. "How old were you?"

"Thirteen… look, yeah, I was mad at him. I still am. He should have been able to…" Ben shook his head again. "But that doesn't matter now. However it happened, he's here now." He smiled. "I don't care how long it took… but the fact that he could work up the courage to come here, a world without magic…"

Emma suddenly had a thought. "So he didn't want to come if he couldn't bring magic with him?"

"No! But now he has, and…"

"Ben…"

"Without magic, his curse is broken. He's free!"

"Ben!"

"What?"

Emma's mind was racing. Why hadn't see seen it sooner? Ben mentioning Rumpelstiltskin not being able to let go of magic… and magic had returned with the curse being broken… the thing she'd retrieved from the dragon… somehow, these were connected though she couldn't quite figure out exactly how. "Ben, magic is here."

"… what?"

"Not here, maybe. But in Storybrooke… that's where everyone came over… Ben, in Storybrooke magic is alive and kicking."

If it were possible, the man had become even paler. "My father… he…" Ben's jaw shook. "Did he bring it over?"

"I don't know," Emma replied, honestly. "But I wouldn't put it past him."

"I don't…" Ben's hands were shaking as he stood to his feet. "After all this time… he makes it over and he can't even leave it behind! Why does he think I came over here in the first place?! I came to save him from magic! I came over alone and he couldn't even…"

"Ben!" Emma stood to her feet and grabbed his arm. "You need to come back to Storybrooke. If I don't bring you back I'm sure Rumpelstiltskin will come looking for you. I'm not completely sure what he's capable of… but I can't imagine it's a good thing for this world if he decides to go wandering. You can't run…"

Ben snatched back his arm. "I'm not running. I'm not a coward." He drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I'll come back to Storybrooke with you, Emma."


	3. Chapter 3: Storybrooke

The road trip took nearly seven hours. Emma had managed to fill most of that with explaining to Ben what had transpired the last few months. There was a hell of a lot to tell. He'd asked questions, though grown quiet whenever she mentioned some part his father had played. Emma had only just managed to cover everything briefly by the time they were barely an hour away.

It was then that Ben had turned to her, and looking her straight in the eye said: "You can't tell him who I am."

"I beg your pardon?" Emma stared at him. "I've spent the last month trying to find you… which is very difficult, might I add, seeing as you weren't even born in this world!"

"Oh, that's going to make it hard for _you_?"

Emma sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm a little stressed out. Storybrooke has gone crazy, and Rumpelstiltskin has been harassing me endlessly to get this done… why don't you want him to know who you are? Don't you want to, I don't know, ask him why he dumped you here…"she trailed off and shrugged.

Ben studied the paper coffee cup he'd picked up from the last service station, spinning it in his hands. "He still has magic. He may have brought it here intentionally. Some of the things he did… some that he did for me… Look, if he knows who I am he'll do anything for me… but if he doesn't, well, he could do anything _to_ me. It might be the only way for me to find out if he's changed."

Emma gave him a sidelong glance. "That could be very, very dangerous."

"I know."

"Alright," Emma agreed. "It is your call. We'll have to think up a cover story for you though. Outsiders never used to come to Storybrooke, and there's not much reason for them to start now. If they did, they'd probably freak out and leave in no time. Everyone's going nuts…"

"I could be someone who came over with the curse?"

Emma shook her head. "No, I'm pretty sure Rumpelstiltskin knows everyone in Storybrooke, as well as exactly how much they owe him…"

Ben sighed. "Sounds like he's enjoying himself…"

"I've got it!" Emma pulled out her phone. "Just let me run it by my son; he'll have to be in on it too. In fact, he'll love it, make it part of 'operation cobra'."

Half and hour later, Ben's new alias was assured, and they were pulling into Storybrooke. "We're here." The statement was unnecessary. They had pulled up in Storybrooke's main street. It was obvious where they were. But Emma felt as if she had to say something.

"Seems like any other sleepy little town…"

"Yeah, until someone decides to start a sword fight…"Emma muttered. She drove slowly down the main street, eyes roving over both sides of the sidewalk. Thankfully, it seemed no one had been misbehaving whilst she'd been gone. Only last week she'd been distracted for all of two hours on the computer, finding out where this Ben Thatch worked, and someone had decided to ride a horse down main street, over the top of several cars, and through one shop. Apparently they'd remembered they were a great horseman, and had just managed to get hold of a beast. There didn't appear to be any such incidents today.

Emma pulled up a few buildings down from Mr Gold's pawn shop. "Stay in the car. I think I just saw…"

At that moment Rumpelstiltskin walked out of the shop. His car was parked right outside and he paused at the car door as retrieved his car keys from a pocket.

"Wait… that's him?" said Ben.

"Yup," said Emma, not without some contempt.

"He's wearing a suit…"

Emma glanced over. "Hey! Don't hang out the window!" She grabbed Ben by the sleeve and dragged him back in. "He's not an idiot…" She looked back out the windshield. Oh shit, he was looking this way! They couldn't really successfully lie to him if Ben was showing so much interest. "You're not his son, remember! You can't be that…" She looked forward again. Rumpelstiltskin was still looking in their direction.

At that moment the shop door opened again, and a young woman with red brown hair skipped out. She breezed up to Rumpelstiltskin and threw her arms around his neck.

"Who's that?" Ben asked. He had stopped hanging out the window, but was still bobbing about in the passenger seat for a better view.

"Belle," said Emma. Also, thankfully, a pretty effective distraction.

Rumpelstiltskin seemed briefly miffed by the attention, but then smiled and his lips moved as he spoke to Belle. It looked like he was convincing her to let him go, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. They were nearly nose to nose.

Emma made a face.

"Well… I certainly didn't expect to see him with… someone… I hope I can take that as a good sign."

Emma didn't trust herself to reply. Belle certainly seemed to love him; it didn't look like she was under some sort of spell. Though she'd only appeared recently; apparently Regina had her locked up in the mental asylum under the hospital. And she'd escaped, straight into the arms of Rumpelstiltskin. Talk about out of the frying pan into the fire. Well, perhaps it was better that Ben saw his father doing something like this, rather than something sinister. It may have been uncharacteristic, but Emma was sure he'd see the man's true colours soon enough. "Come on, let's get out of here before you give yourself away."

The little yellow Volkswagen pulled away from the curb and chugged off up the street.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin had spent a good part of the day chasing up rents, mortgages and unpaid loans. It still amused him, especially now, how when people saw him they got this panicked look on their face, even when they owed him nothing. It was like they thought he could turn them into a toad on a whim, which, technically he now could. And they were now aware of it, which just made them all the more nervous. It was also a little annoying. After all, he wouldn't turn anyone into a toad for no reason, not anymore. Unless turning them into a toad somehow benefited him, of course.

It had been just after midday when he'd stepped out of his shop, having stopped through to see how Belle was doing in her new job manning the pawn shop, when he'd spotted Emma's personal car.

He'd known she'd left Storybrooke a few days before. He knew most of what was going on in the town; he made a point of it. And it hadn't been too much of a stretch to imagine it was to do with the 'request' he'd made of her. But Rumpelstiltskin didn't want to imagine. He'd learnt long ago that there wasn't much point in hoping for something good to happen. Often, it didn't. On rare occasions, it did. And if you weren't hoping for it you couldn't be disappointed.

Still, when Emma Swan had pulled up in her car and he'd briefly caught sight of the man beside her, he couldn't help but think that maybe she'd succeeded. But then she'd driven off, and he hadn't seen her since. Of course, he quickly assured himself that he was probably mistaken. He'd already thought once that a strange man in Storybrooke was his son; even convinced himself his personality was familiar. He'd been wrong. At least all it had cost him was finding a new hiding place for the Knife.

Eventually, when Rumpelstiltskin had completed all had to do, he decided to go visit the Sheriff's office. He was just going to see how Emma was progressing, he told himself, nothing more. If she had completed her task, she would surely let him know.

"Still hard at it, I see."

"Shit…" Emma had been staring at a desk covered in sheets of paperwork. She jumped, knocking a few loose leaves to the floor. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" She retrieved the fallen paper. "What do you want?"

"Let me see, you've just been out of town for a couple of days…"

Emma sighed. "You want to know if I've found your son yet. Same question you asked four days ago."

"Yes, but four days ago you weren't parked in front of my shop with a strange man…" Rumpelstiltskin swallowed, forcing himself to slow down. He moved his cane in front of himself and leaned heavily on it. He didn't really need it as much as he used to. If he took an hour or so to sit down and work out the magic, at least, how he'd have to do it in this world, he could get rid of the limp for good. He just hadn't gotten around to it. And he'd grown just a little bit attached to the cane.

"What are you, my mother?" Emma sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I can see how that might look. But I've been doing some digging concurrently with my search for your son…"

"What do you mean?"

"I got a bit distracted. It's true, I left town because I was chasing up a lead on your son, but I also went to find someone else. That man in the car was Ben Thatch. He's Henry's father."

Rumpelstiltskin frowned. "He was showing a fair amount of interest in either me or my shop, Miss Swan. As were you."

"I was warning him about you. I don't want to bring home my son's father and have you do something to him because he upsets you. Besides, if you don't want people staring, perhaps you shouldn't be canoodling in the street with your new girlfriend!"

Rumpelstiltskin huffed. Wonderful. Emma Swan still had an inclination to toy with him, even though he was fairly sure her wariness had increased. "That's not what you were supposed to be doing."

Emma shrugged. "You're not paying me, you know. I'm doing this on my own time."

"You already got your part of the deal. Don't make me go back on it."

"I didn't say I wasn't working on it," Emma said quickly.

Good, he'd scared her, if only a little.

"I will still find your son, I promise. God knows, I'm sure you could have asked for something far worse. Rumpelstiltkin, you want your son back, that's something I can understand. I'm not going to screw you with this. But you have to give me time."

"Oh, I'm sure you won't, if you know what's good for you," Rumpelstiltskin sneered.

Emma rolled her eyes. She still wasn't as scared of him as Rumpelstiltskin would like her to be. But it didn't really matter. She didn't seem to have any qualms about finding Baelfire, except for the time it was taking her. If he could just keep some level of pressure on her, though not too much, she might eventually come up with a result. "Let me know as soon as you turn up something," he said, turning to leave. "And now that you've found your lost lover, no more distractions."

"Rumpelstiltskin…" Emma called after him. "I don't know what happened between you and your son… but I know what it's like to suddenly have someone in your life who you want to look up to you. Are you sure, when I find him for you, that Baelfire's going to like what he sees?"

Rumpelstiltskin felt himself bristle. "I hired you to find my son. Not…" He shook his head. He didn't need to explain himself. But he couldn't stop himself from thinking that perhaps Emma Swan had hit a bit closer to home than he would have liked. "Goodnight, Miss Swan."

* * *

**A/n:** I am really enjoying writing this. Writing the characters is the next best thing to watching them... now I've got to go figure out some more plot for this!


	4. Chapter 4: New Job

He looked rather comfortable, just lying there on the sofa. Henry frowned, turning his head to the side as he studied the sleeping man. He knew the man wasn't his real father, but just for a moment he thought he'd consider the idea. His frown deepened. This was Rumpelstiltskin's son. What sort of man could he be? Well, enough of one that Emma had brought him home, so he couldn't be that bad. But he wouldn't find out anything more just by staring at him as he slept.

"Wha?" Ben snorted and sat bolt upright as Henry poked him in the ribs.

"Woah!" The boy jumped back. "Hello…"

"What? Hi…" Ben blinked. He pushed himself to a sitting position, rubbing at his eyes. "You must be Henry."

"That's right." Henry sat himself down. "And you must be Ben…"

"Yeah. Sorry. I must have fallen asleep. I didn't sleep so well last night."

"I can bet. So, Emma tells me you're going to be my father…"

"Not your real father," Ben said quickly.

"I know," Henry nodded. "But the sooner we start getting into character the better. If you're going to try fool Rumpelstiltskin you can't have any slip ups. Though I'm not sure if I should call you dad. I don't call Emma, mom…" He frowned again, thinking it over.

Ben stretched. "Yeah, maybe not. To tell the truth I'm not sure how good a father I'd make…"

"I'll just call you Ben," Henry decided. "So, Rumpelstiltskin's _your_ father?"

Ben gave a funny sort of half smile, almost a wince. "Yeah."

"No wonder you don't want to let him know…"

Ben sighed. "Everyone really thinks that way of him?"

Henry winced. "Sorry, I didn't mean… you probably know him better than me."

"I'm not so sure about that. And don't apologise, it's probably his own fault. Maybe I've got good reason to hide from him."

Henry looked at the man. He certainly wasn't like Rumpelstiltskin. Not creepy at all. He just seemed a little confused. "You're not hiding though. You're just gathering intel first. That's what I've been doing! It's not hiding; it's just using your brain instead of rushing into things."

Ben smiled. "Thanks. I guess so."

"So," Henry scooted closer on the couch. "What's our plan of attack?"

"Attack?"

"Yeah. You must have a plan."

"I haven't thought about it much yet. Your mother only found me a day ago; I'm still trying to take things in. But I guess that I need to find out what my father is like, if he's anything like the man I left behind. And I need to find out how he reacts to me if he doesn't know who I am… I have to remain an unknown."

"Well," Henry nodded, "that much is covered. Emma and I will just act like you're my dad. But you'll need a way to get close to him, or at least talk to him. I've got it! You've just moved here… you can look for a place to rent."

"That eager to get rid of me? Emma's said I can stay…"

"Yeah, but no offence, it's getting pretty crowded in here. I think Miss Blanc… Sno… my grandmother. She doesn't like me calling her that… Snow's getting a bit annoyed whenever we all leave a mess. It's pretty crowded already. Not saying you should go, just that it might be a good way to talk to your father."

Ben smiled, and seemed a bit more lively than he had since Henry had met him. Of course he could now just be fully awake. "Yeah, that sounds like a plan. You're pretty smart… got any more words of wisdom?"

Henry thought for a moment. He was sure now that he liked Ben. He was just trying to find his father; much like Henry had gone to find Emma. It was just unfortunate that whilst Henry had been so lucky as to have someone like Emma for a parent, Ben was stuck with Rumpelstiltskin. "Yeah. Be careful. If you cross Rumpelstiltskin and he just thinks you're some guy he barely knows…"

Ben exhaled. Briefly, Henry saw him shudder. "Yeah, I know. Emma's warned me already."

* * *

The very next day, Ben took Henry's advice. He'd been rather impressed by the intelligence the boy had shown. With him and Emma backing him up, he felt he stood a good chance of pulling this off. He'd always done things alone after coming to this world; counting only on himself. It was nice to feel like he had a bit of backup.

That didn't stop him from briefly panicking as he'd approached the pawn shop. He wasn't a procrastinator, usually, but he found himself desperately wanting to do something else first. Buy a newspaper, or a coffee, or anything. He pushed the urge down, steadied himself and walked into the shop.

Rumpelstiltskin wasn't there. Ben was greeted by the young woman he'd seen the day before. "Hello, need some help?"

"Um…" Ben was briefly distracted by the contents of his father's shop. Here was stashed all sorts of things, many of which looked like they could have come from the old world. Nothing jumped right out as unearthly, but with his faded memories Ben could just tell they didn't belong here. Funny, he had never thought of his father as a hoarder. "Ah… yeah… I was looking to talk to Rumpelstiltskin. I was looking for a place to rent… I was told he was the person to talk to."

"He's not here right now, but I can let him know to contact you…" The young woman trailed off, looking at him with a slightly quizzical expression.

"Oh, sorry…" Ben extended a hand. "Benjamin Thatch. Ben."

The woman smiled and took his hand. "Belle. You're… I don't recognise you… I assume if you want to rent you're new to Storybrooke?"

"Yes. I came with Emma, just now. We were together… before… Henry's my son. Just learnt I had a son, came here to take responsibility and all that."

Belle nodded. "Well, I'll let Rumpelstiltskin know you called."

He could have left then. But Ben suspected that if he was to find out anything good about his father, taking into account what he'd seen yesterday, this was the woman to talk to. "This is a nice shop you've got here. There's lots of…" he gestured to encompass the whole place, "everything."

Belle smiled. "Well, it's mostly Rumpelstiltskin's stuff. I've only been here about a month, well, I was in Storybrooke… I'd been…" she paused, "locked up."

Ben had heard as much from Emma. "Emma's been filling me in on everybody. It's a strange little town you've got here. But I guess she really wanted me to stay, so she told me all about the curse…"

"Sure she wasn't just trying to scare you off?" Belle seemed to be warming to the conversation.

Ben laughed. "No. Besides, I don't scare easily. No, she wants me to stay, and that's what I plan to do." He shrugged. "A town of people from a different world, or dimension, or whatever you want to call it isn't going to frighten me away. In fact, it could be interesting. But yeah, she did mention you, and what Regina did. What she did to you. And some of the other people here. She doesn't sound like a very nice person."

"No, not at all."

Ben had picked up a trinket from one of the shelves. A bracelet or piece of jewellery. He turned it over in his hands. "She also seemed a bit worried about me going through Rumpelstiltskin to find a place to stay. She seems to think he'll screw me over or something."

Belle folded her arms. "Yes, well, he's not really that bad. Is that what this conversation is about then?"

Oops. Ben placed the trinket back on the shelf. "No. Sorry, I was just thinking aloud. Besides, I've always found that it's best not to judge someone you don't know that well. Best to get to know them for yourself. "

Belle frowned at him for a moment, and then unfolded her arms. "Fair enough. I'll let him know you want to talk to him."

"Thanks," Ben nodded. "It was nice to meet you," he smiled.

Belle still seemed slightly annoyed by his question, but she relented enough to give him a small, but genuine smile. "Nice to meet you too, Ben."

That taken care of, Ben wandered out along the main street. A good enough start. He would get an audience with his father, even if it was under false pretences. And Belle seemed nice enough. It was encouraging to see his father had hooked up with someone like her. She'd even been rather eager to defend his honour. Ben frowned. Of course, that could mean that it _needed_ defending. Belle hadn't outright denied that Rumpelstiltskin might screw someone over. Or worse. Ben sighed. This was going to be harder than he thought. He certainly couldn't figure his father out just with one visit to his girlfriend, and the possibility of talking to him in the future. Perhaps he'd have to think up another excuse to visit the pawn shop. He still thought Belle would be a good source of information; he just might have to be more tactful. All to do now though, was to wait for his father to contact him. Until then, he might as well take a bit of a look at Storybrooke.

As Ben walked down the main street he noticed that a few of the town's inhabitant's looked at him for longer than perhaps necessary. He decided that just must be because he was an outsider, or maybe word had gotten around that he was with Emma. He shouldn't be the one getting stared at. A smile briefly crossed his face as he passed a man dressed as if he thought he was supposed to be a pirate. The explanation probably being that he was. Someone also walked past with a scabbard swinging from their belt. Now he knew what Emma had meant about the sword fighting. Talk about a strange town. Ben's pace slowed and he frowned to himself. The 'strangeness' of Storybrooke should have been familiar to him; he had after all been born in the world that all these people came from. But very soon after he'd arrived in this world Ben, then Baelfire, had made a conscious decision that he had to fit into this new world. He knew he was never going home. He'd changed his name, or rather, made sure that Benjamin Thatch was the only name that had been recorded on those papers, a process that still made little sense to him. He'd gotten work as soon as he'd been legally allowed to. Ben had dug himself into the system of this world, whilst he had still never really understood it. Survival had been his only motivation, because it was really all he had left. He'd built himself a life. Whilst it wasn't much, especially compared to some of the impossibly wealthy he'd seen both himself, and on television, it was far more than he'd had back in the old world. Except, of course, family. That was the one, the only, thing he hadn't had. He hadn't even tried to build his own.

Ben looked up the street, and his melancholy briefly vanished as he spotted a mechanics shop. Now that was familiar territory. Technically, he'd been in this world longer than the other, and this was the one place he'd been able to really ground himself in. He was a good mechanic; he loved his job. He had a good reputation. In fact, now that he thought about it, the only thing he'd done wrong was leaving his old job without notice, for obvious reasons.

There was a fair amount of cars parked outside. Perhaps Storybrooke's mechanics were having a bit of trouble keeping up. So, without hesitation, Ben wandered into the main office with the intention of applying for a job.

It appeared he'd have to wait. There was already an older woman yelling over the counter at the man there. "My car has never broken down before! I've had it for twenty eight years! All I've had to do is take it here for regular services. You've never found anything wrong with it … and now suddenly everyone's car is breaking down… what sort of racket are you running?!"

It took fifteen minutes for the man to calm the woman, and promise to fix whatever was wrong with her car. Ben waited patiently through all of it. Eventually, she left and he sauntered up the counter, now more than confident.

"Can I help you?" the man was about in his mid-forties, and looked rather stressed out. "We're a bit overloaded at the moment I don't know if we can take any more cars today…"

Ben couldn't help smiling. "How about a new employee?"

* * *

Ben left that afternoon covered in grease, and with a rather smug grin on his face. It had been almost too easy. For some reason, Storybrooke's mechanics had absolutely no idea what they were doing! Apparently vehicles didn't really break down here, well, not until recently. It seemed it had something to do with the curse. Emma had said something about time freezing, and Ben had noticed every vehicle he'd seen was at least twenty-eight years old. With the curse now broken, it seemed things were catching up on the old clunkers. Ben couldn't be happier. He tossed the rag he'd been using to wipe the majority of the grease from his hands into a nearby bin and turned to head back to the apartment.

"Mr Thatch."

Ben froze. Until a few days ago, he'd never thought he'd hear that voice again. Ben closed his eyes briefly, drew in a deep breath and tried to calm the pounding of his heart. He turned around, thrusting his hands into his pockets so the shake that had come over them was not visible. "Yes?"

His father stood before him. He was wearing a suit, as he had been the day before, and leaning on a rather expensive looking cane. He looked Ben up and down in a slightly disinterested manner. "I hear you're new to Storybrooke; looking for a place to rent?" He was also shorter than Ben remembered. _You idiot, Ben, you've grown._

"Yeah… Yes," said Ben, thankfully finding his voice. "I am."

"Well, I don't have a lot of time on my hands. I take it you're aware of Storybrooke's rather… interesting history? I don't want to waste my time showing you a place and then have you leaving in a few weeks."

"No, of course not. I'm definitely looking for somewhere permanently. I'm Henry's father and Emma and I…"

"I know who you are, Mr Thatch," Rumpelstiltskin cut him short. "Though I am glad to see Miss Swan isn't wasting any of her time on finding a place to rent. She's a very busy woman and it's good to see she's got you pulling your weight. I think I have one place you might be interested in." He handed over a piece of paper.

It took Ben a brief second to realise he needed to take a hand out of his pocket to retrieve it. He did so, and then pushed his hand back in his pocket along with the piece of paper without even looking at it.

His behaviour didn't seem to faze his father in the slightest, if he even noticed it odd. "You can meet me there at three tomorrow to see if it meets your standards. Don't be late." With that the man turned around and headed back up the street without a backward glance.

Ben watched him go, frozen to the spot, and suddenly realised he'd been holding his breath. He let it out in one great huff, and quickly found a nearby street lamp to lean on.


	5. Chapter 5: The Viewing

**A/n: **Meant for this chapter to be a bit longer, but apparently Rumpelstiltskin and Ben/Bae aren't all that cooperative when you put them in a room together. Next time I'll have to make things more interesting for them... :3 Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far, it's nice to see what you think, and please keep reviewing. ^_^

* * *

Ben had sat down that evening and started to make a list. Twenty questions had popped back into his mind, and he figured that these could be applied to a father/son meeting as well. The only problem with this, he soon realised, was that he had to phrase the questions in such a manner that the father didn't know they were coming from the son.

'Why couldn't you let go of the Knife?' was the first thing he'd written. Ben scowled, and scratched through the phrase with his pen so hard he almost tore the paper. It was pity; because that was one of the questions he really wanted to ask.

"It'd be a lot easier if you just told him the truth." Emma had come to lean over the back of the sofa, staring at his paper. "Not to mention safer."

"He's been bugging you to find me again, hasn't he?"

Emma shrugged non-committedly. "So I hear you've managed to get a job?"

"Yeah."

"And committed to getting us a house through Rumpelstiltskin…"

Ben winced. "Yeah, not quite yet…"

"Just don't drag me into this too much," Emma shook her head. "I know you're trying to keep up an act and all…"

"Yeah, sorry. I won't commit to anything for you." He shrugged. "And hey, if I do do anything you don't like you can always dump me."

Emma smiled. "Sounds like a plan. Here," she took out a card and handed it to him. "That's the number for the sheriff's office. If you get yourself into any trouble… which I'm sure you will…"

Ben frowned. "Thanks. But if my father's as bad as he was this isn't going to help much."

"I can't imagine he'd be much worse… actually…" Emma looked at the ceiling as she contemplated. She looked back down at Ben, slightly hesitant. "How bad was he?" she eventually ventured.

Ben stared down at his still rather scanty list and swallowed hard. "Turned some guy into a snail because he knocked me down with his cart."

"Jeesh…"

"… then stepped on him." Saying it somehow brought it out of the haze of the old world and into the reality of this one. Ben's chosen reality. A faint anger, buried long ago with his memories, started to burn.

"Wow…" Emma said after a moment. She frowned. "Ben, I'm serious. This is really dangerous. Are you sure…"

Ben stood up from the sofa and whirled around. "Emma, I know what I'm doing, alright?!" He swallowed, calming slightly. "I know what I'm doing. Henry was right… this apartment is too small…" He snatched up his paper. He needed somewhere he could think.

It was with trepidation that, the next day, Ben approached the house at the address Rumpelstiltskin had given him.

His list hadn't turned out very well. It contained a lot of questions he simply couldn't ask, and a few more that he could work in only with some difficulty. Eventually, he'd just thrown it away. The most important ones were firmly in his mind, and carrying a prompt was a dead giveaway.

He turned to examine the house. It was a cottage with a small, slightly overgrown but not untidy garden. And it looked about the right size for a small family. Not that he really needed to consider any of that, Ben thought with a wry smile, but doing so might help him stay 'in character'.

"You're late."

Ben looked up as Rumpelstiltskin stepped out of his car and onto the footpath. He glanced down at his watch. "So are you…"

His father gave a half shrug. "Well, we've got twenty minutes." He gestured towards the house. "If you're happy after that the place is yours. Shall we?"

Ben nodded and headed in. His father didn't seem as in a hurry as he had been yesterday. He was under less time constraints today, Ben supposed. Perhaps he would be able to work in a few questions without antagonising him too much. They entered in through the front door to the living area. It was well-lit, though looked a little disused. There was a simple wooden dining table and a sofa. Ben let his eyes wander over these, taking in the obvious, but without actually contemplating much of it.

Rumpelstiltskin had paused at the edge of the room, leaning on his cane, and just letting Ben look around. It appeared he was in no great hurry to recommend anything about the place, just content to let Ben decide. This was either a good or a bad thing. Ben realised he would have to lead the conversation, presuming that he could even start one. But it might also mean he could steer it.

"It looks alright..." Ben said noncommittally.

"Would you like to see the bedrooms?" His father sound mildly frustrated, though nothing like yesterday.

Ben nodded, agreeing only for the sake of giving himself time to think. "I'm not so worried about the house," he said as they relocated to the further end of the little house. "This seems pretty nice, and we really need it, but…" He chewed his lip.

"But?" Rumpelstiltskin prompted.

"I've been talking to Emma. She's not really all that keen about me entering into any sort of arrangement with you… or in dragging her in to it…"A half-truth. Maybe it'd help him be more believable; Ben wasn't sure how good he was at lying.

His father leaned on his cane and smiled. "That seems a bit hypocritical of her. She's entered into arrangements with me in the past."

"Perhaps that's why she's worried. And I don't want to get involved in anything that could end up hurting my family."

"Mr Thatch," Rumpelstiltskin shifted his weight off his cane. The movement caught Ben's eye, and he momentarily wondered why his father was carting that around. Back in the other world as soon as he'd inherited the Dark One's powers his limp had vanished. "I assure you that Sherriff Swan is being just a touch paranoid about my dealings. People who pay their rent in time and don't break their contracts have nothing to worry about."

Time to stir things up a little, Ben thought. But just a little. "She did tell me she'd made a deal with you. That you've got her doing something for you. She doesn't seem entirely happy about that…"

"And just how much did she tell about this deal I made with her?" His father took a step forward, his voice carrying a slight threat. Ben saw through it, or rather he saw the brief flicker of emotion that preceded it. Fear. Good grief, was he actually that worried about someone finding out he had Emma searching for his son? Did he think it some kind of weakness?

Ben exhaled, turning his head away to hide his contempt. "She didn't go into any details. Said it was personal. I don't mean to be antagonistic; I'm just trying to protect me family. You know, I kind of feel like I abandoned them, especially my son, and I'm just trying to make up for it."

"Yes, well, I can't blame you for that."

Ben glanced back at his father, but if his face had shown anything that might help him clarify that statement, he'd missed it. He took a moment to take him in. Some things about him were different then Ben's memories, some hadn't changed. The suit, for one. It was every bit the clean, crisp business man that Rumpelstiltskin was now portraying. Portraying was the right word. Ben was sure it was an act. In the other world, his father had started to change. Ben, the boy Baelfire, had started to see him becoming something else. A portrayal of power. Something that frightened those about him and stopped them from getting too close to its wielder. In this world, evil was not so obvious. It did not skulk around, nor take on the appearance of a monster. In this world, evil was more often subtle. His father had embraced that, and that was what now stood before him.

_But he's not evil. _Ben couldn't believe that. _He's just…_ Ben didn't know. He couldn't tell from one meeting. Not with his father hidden behind his chosen persona.

"I didn't know I had a son, Rumpelstiltskin. When I found out… well, I felt like I had been a coward. Deserted Emma because I wanted to hold onto my old life. Basically, I abandoned my son, and…"

"Mr Thatch, I have no interest in hearing your sob story. I'm here to see if you want to make a deal."

Did he interrupt him just a little too quickly? Ben wasn't sure. He'd grown frustrated. A part of him wanted to just give it all up there and tell his father who he was. It would be the only way he'd get an honest reaction. The other half just wanted to get out of this little house and away from his father. Ben steadied himself, thrusting his hands into his pockets. No. Not yet. He wasn't done with his questions. "Alright, fine. I'm going to have to think about it; talk to Emma. And I'm just trying to figure out what's going on here. This town is strange… magic…" he shook his head. "I've never believed in magic. Obviously. It doesn't belong in this world. Whoever brought it… what's wrong with them, what could they possibly need it for?!"

"It bothers you that much?" Rumpelstiltskin was staring at him hard now. Ben looked at him. Continuing now would be too much too soon. He'd give himself away. He was too angry. As his father gave him that look, spoke those words, Ben couldn't help but wonder. Had his father really brought the magic? Ben couldn't make himself believe it.

His father's outfit, his demeanour may have changed. But as far as Ben could see he was still much the same man. Ben was scaring him now, ever so slightly, and if he continued his father might perceive him as a threat. Then what, turn him into a snail?

"I'm not from your world, I don't understand magic. Maybe it just frightens me. Maybe just what it could do to people. I'm going to have to think about it. I'll get back to you."

Rumpelstiltskin nodded, but he was now looking at Ben with a more intense interest. Not quite the same mild frustration and disdain he'd shown when they'd first entered this house. What he was thinking, Ben wasn't sure. He wasn't sure whether it would taint the rather haphazard plan he had to figure his father out. At the moment he couldn't be bothered thinking it through. He had to get out of this house. And only then, when he'd had a chance to calm himself down and think, would he contemplate his next steps.

"Alright," said Rumpelstiltskin. "I'll send over a contract for you to take a look at. Let me know when you decide, Mr Thatch. I look forward to doing business with you."


	6. Chapter 6: Slip Up

**A/n: **Making Belle read ''Pride and Prejudice" because I can. If you have not read it, go read it now. Everyone should read it. :)

* * *

Belle looked up as the little bell above the shop door jingled. She'd been sneaking in a read of 'Pride and Prejudice', which she folded shut and placed on the counter now. Damn, she was up to the part where Darcy was proposing to Elizabeth. That was going to go down well.

She'd found there was simply an amazing number of books in this world, none of which she'd been able to access whilst in the asylum. Manning Rumpelstiltskin's shop could get boring. Those that came in usually conducted their business as quickly as possible and left. No one browsed. It wasn't that they were ever rude to her. Far from it; in fact, they were infuriatingly polite. Well, she was dating the most feared man in Storybrooke. Some apprehension was understandable, but it was getting a bit tiring. At least she had an almost inexhaustible supply of books she had never seen or heard of, or far less read before.

When she saw it was Ben Thatch walking into the shop she couldn't help but smile. Though he had slightly angered her with his comment about Rumpelstiltskin, now that she'd had time to think about it he was the only person who'd walked in here and said something so brutally honest. He was obviously just asking because he wanted to know what he was getting into, but the point was he hadn't feared the man so much that it affected his interaction with her. Here was someone she might actually be able to hold a decent conversation with. She loved Rumpelstiltskin, but the relationship did affect how people spoke to her. Or rather didn't.

"Hello again…" Belle gave the man a warm smile.

Ben strolled up to the counter, glancing at the shelves and their contents as he passed. He carried a stack of loosely bound paper in one hand. A contract, Belle realised. That hadn't taken long.

Something appeared to be on his mind, but when he got to the counter and his attention rested on her he couldn't help but smile back. "Hi. Busy day?"

Belle's face broke into a grin. He was making small talk! Then the thought occurred to her that it was rather sad this made her so excited. It could be worse. Rumpelstiltskin could have her locked up in a castle again. At least the semi social seclusion she'd endured for the past month was entirely unintentional on his part. And it was sure as hell better than the asylum.

She sighed. "Not really. I've got something to do at least…" She tapped the book beside her.

Ben smiled. "That's good. Hey, I just came to turn in this contract Rumpelstiltskin gave me for the house. Decided to take it." He placed on the contract on the counter.

Belle flicked open the pile of paper, checking it was all signed off correctly. She didn't understand these contracts at all, but Rumpelstiltskin had shown her how to check the basics in case anyone brought one in and before she passed it on to him. It saved him having to chase up silly little things like people initialling instead of putting a full signature, or missing pages. Apparently these led to loopholes, and Rumpelstiltskin didn't like loopholes. Not ones he couldn't utilise himself, at least. She let out a frustrated huff as she flicked through to the last third of the pile of paper. Why they had to be so big she didn't get either. "Alright, I can pass that on," she said as let the paper fall closed.

Ben reached out a hand as she went to place the contract under the counter, his hand pinning down the top edge of the stack. He didn't quite look at Belle, his gaze fixed on some indeterminate point behind her on the floor.

Belle sighed. He'd only been here a few days. What had he heard, or having met with Rumpelstiltskin, what had he seen himself in that brief time that made him hesitate? "Second thoughts?"

Ben blinked. "Maybe." He pulled the contract back towards himself as Belle let it go. He spun it around and stared at it for a moment. "Belle… I hope you don't think I'm being forward… but from what I've heard, and just the… vibes I got from Rumpelstiltskin when arranging this… I'm not sure it's the best idea."

"Well," Belle replied, though his words rattled her slightly. "I don't have a problem with you being honest. Gods know, no one else here feels like being frank with me."

Ben looked at her. "They're all scared of him, aren't they?"

Belle wasn't sure how much she should be sharing with this man. But somehow she felt as if she had to set his mind at rest. "Yes."

Ben looked away again. He was struggling to do this; distrust was starting to taint his interaction with her already. But not fear. Belle sensed no fear from him. So he was perhaps the only person in Storybrooke who didn't fear Rumpelstiltskin, besides herself. Perhaps he was just naïve, Belle thought, then felt bad for thinking that was the only reason someone couldn't fear Rumpelstiltskin. Ben seemed frustrated, unsure, and maybe a little angry, but he wasn't afraid.

"Again, sorry to be forward… but I know you're with him. You probably know him better than anyone else here. Should I be worried? I have a job and I expect I can keep it; I shouldn't have any problem paying the rent… but… I can't help but feel like I shouldn't be doing this…"

Belle contemplated the man before her. She wasn't angry at him anymore for asking these questions. Well, not much. A part of her felt they were justifiable. The other wanted to let him know that Rumpelstiltskin was not the sort of man he thought. But she couldn't quite find the right words, because a simple statement of his goodness of heart was untrue.

"Ben…" she shook her head. "He doesn't deserve the level of fear people hold him in… though he certainly doesn't discourage it. He's not a bad man, but…"

"But?"

Belle wasn't sure why she forged ahead. Perhaps it was a betrayal of Rumpelstiltskin, but she felt she had to convince this man his fears were unjustified. He was the only person who'd given her the chance. "The magic has done something to him. It already had. I'm not sure what. It's like it's a drug. He's just…"

"Scared," Ben offered.

Belle wasn't sure how he knew that, but it was true. "Yes…" she said, staring at Ben now. Who was this man? "He instigates fear in everyone else… his contracts… his deals… it keeps them all in his power. It's all about power. Without it he's vulnerable. Only he's not, he just thinks he is. He's not a bad man; he just doesn't seem to see what this is doing to him. Although he might, and that's even worse…" She trailed off and then shook her head. "He shouldn't have brought the magic back."

"What?" Ben was staring at her intently. She could feel the emotional intensity wash off him. She almost took a step back. But it wasn't anger, and it wasn't directed at her.

Belle suddenly realised how much she'd said. "I'm sorry… I don't know why I've told you all this…"

Ben ignored her apology entirely. "You know… do you know for a fact it was him who brought the magic back?"

"I've said too much already…"

"Please!" Ben slammed a hand on the table. The sound made her jump, but she didn't actually fear he'd hurt her. He wasn't angry; something she'd said had upset him.

Belle couldn't quite figure it out. But the man was looking at her almost desperately. She was confused, and so she continued. Surely that piece of information couldn't be used against Rumpelstiltskin. "Yes. I saw him bring it back myself…"

"You're sure?!" Ben said.

"Yes, I'm sure! You come in here and shout at me for gods know what reason… I'm not going to lie to you! What does it matter to you anyway?"

Ben bit his lip, and Belle saw tears in his eyes before he turned away. "I… I still can't figure out why he thinks he needs it… he survived here without it for twenty-eight years, didn't he?!" He was talking to himself, caught up in some emotional turmoil. "I came here so he could leave it behind!"

Belle felt her heart skip a beat. Suddenly everything clicked into place. Rumpelstiltskin had told her, reluctantly, and after some prompting, what exactly it was he had Sherriff Swan chasing up for him. Belle had finally heard the story of Rumpelstiltskin's son. "Baelfire?"

"What?!" Ben spun around. Then he blinked and seemed to actually calm down as he realised what had just happened. "I'm…" he stuttered, then sighed and shook his head, wiping a hand across his face. "He told you. So he told someone. I was beginning to think it was just too much of an embarrassment for him."

"No…" Belle came around the counter. It all made sense now. Now she knew why Ben had come seeking someone to tell him he was wrong. "Not at all. He's wanted nothing more than to have you back. He's going to be so happy when he finds out your Baelfire."

"My name's not Baelfire. It hasn't been for years. It's Ben." The man let out a sigh. "I suppose you're going to tell him now."

"I think that's up to you. Ben… he _will_ be happy to see you. Why haven't you told him who you are?"

Ben scuffed a shoe across the floorboards, not quite willing to look up at Belle. "I didn't even mean to tell you. It's because I don't know him. I haven't seen him for nearly twenty years. He hasn't seen me for at least twenty-eight, and I expect it's far, far longer than that. I was starting to have trouble recognising him even before I came here; he was changing. How much is he going to have changed now?"

"There's still a man in there, Ben. Your father is still there."

"That's what I was hoping. That's why I haven't told him straight away. But all I've seen of him so far that I recognise… it's like he's kept the worst parts of who he was. I don't know _what_ I see, Belle. So I thought I'd poke around and try to find out who he is."

"Do you still love him?"

Ben looked up at her with a slightly hurt expression on his face. He thought about it for a brief moment, and seemed to find he actually believed the answer he spoke. "Yes."

Belle smiled. "Then you'll find out he's still your father soon enough. Give him time. But don't hide this from him for too long. When he told me about you… he really regrets what he did…"

"He left me here by myself. I came here for _him_. And he couldn't let go of that damn Knife…"

Belle frowned, not sure what a knife had to do with it. Rumpelstiltskin hadn't been overly detailed when he had finally told her what had happened to Baelfire.

"I did this for him. He was supposed to come with me and leave magic behind, but he couldn't even do that…"

"Don't be too hard on him. 'Magic is power', apparently, and it certainly has a lot of power over Rumpelstiltskin. Look, I won't let him know who you are. But don't string him out for too long. He needs to find you."

Ben nodded slowly. "Maybe I am just being a coward… look, I'll make you a deal. Give me a week. I'll find out what I can. And if you could help me…"

"I'm not going to lie to him." Belle said firmly.

"You don't have to say anything to him… just… could you just tell me about him?"

"Of course," Belle smiled faintly.

Ben smiled back. "Thanks."

"So you going to put that contract in or not?"

Ben looked at the stack of paper in his hand as if he'd forgotten it was there. "I'll think about it some more. Maybe turn it in tomorrow. That'll give me an excuse to come in."

"One week," Belle reminded him.

Ben nodded.

"It'll be easier than you think it is, I promise."


	7. Chapter 7: Confrontation

Ben left the mechanics, tossing the rag he always seemed to forget he was carrying in the last bin on the way out. There was so much to do, and he'd even been asked to work overtime. Ben would have dearly loved to. With his head under a car, tinkering with all the bits and pieces that no one else here seemed to have a clue about how to fix, he could lose himself. But as soon as he was finished, he found himself thinking of the task at hand. He could've worked the overtime, but he wanted to visit Belle. Even though it frustrated him. Each day he came expecting to have her change his mind, but he was always disappointed. Finding out about his father, even just talking to Belle, was starting to take its toll.

It was five days since he'd promised Belle he'd tell his father his true identity in a week. Two days away from his deadline, he was still as terrified of telling him as he'd been when he arrived. No, not terrified; just not ready. He didn't know enough yet, even after all his chats with Belle. What he was terrified of was that he'd reveal who his was, his father would open his heart to him, but Ben would find out his heart was as black as he'd feared.

So what was the point of finding out the hard way? Did he want the option of turning tail and running if he found he didn't want to know his father? Ben shook his head. No, that wasn't it either. He knew he wouldn't run. He might be afraid, but he had never backed down from anything. Funny, he thought. He hadn't inherited his father's cowardice. It was almost the opposite. Maybe Emma and Henry had been right, he was about to get himself into trouble.

It was on that thought that he looked up and spotted Rumpelstiltskin standing right outside the pawn shop. Exactly where Ben had been heading; exactly where he'd been heading after work for the past four days. Ben almost faltered. He'd been right on the money; apparently he _was_ in trouble.

His father was leaning on his cane, just waiting. Ben knew he was waiting for him. He'd been far too punctual in his visits to Belle. Well, so be in. Ben took a deep breath and picked back up his pace. Though he hadn't actually spoken to his father since viewing the house, he blamed him for all the frustration he'd built up over the past few days.

His father had spotted him. "Mr Thatch," Rumpelstiltskin said as Ben reached him. "I was wondered when you were going to show up." He wore a slight smile, and Ben couldn't pick up any hint of fear from him. In fact, he seemed perfectly in control and just a little bit pleased with himself.

Ben was tense. Rumpelstiltskin had figured out something, or he was about to do something horrible to him. Still, Ben couldn't work up any fear towards his father. He wasn't sure why. He knew he was dangerous; knew this meeting might prove so. But he didn't think his father had realised who he was. He wouldn't be looking at him with that smug smile, with just a hint of contempt, if he had. "I take it you want to talk to me?"

"You haven't turned in your contract. I was wondering if you still wanted the place. I can't hold onto it for you if you won't give me an answer."

This couldn't be the real reason Rumpelstiltskin wanted to talk. He was playing with him, Ben realised. _Fine, let's play._ "You're not telling me you've got potential tenants caged up in your backyard, are you? I'm pretty sure there aren't a lot of people looking to rent in Storybrooke at the moment, if ever."

His father shifted his weight. Slightly annoyed? Good. "That's not the point."

"What is the point, Rumpelstiltskin? I really don't think it's about the house."

"The point, Mr Thatch, is that you haven't turned in your contract, and yet, you've been visiting my pawn shop for the last week. That makes me wonder what exactly it is you're up to."

"It's an interesting shop." Ben said flatly. He was enjoying this too much, he realised. His father was frustrating him; well he'd see what happened if he annoyed him. Perhaps he'd push his buttons and see what that brought out.

"You're not scared of me, are you?" Rumpelstiltskin puzzled, looking him over.

"Does that bother you?"

"No. You haven't been here very long."

"But you _want_ me to be scared of you?" said Ben. His father wasn't scared now. No. He was in control of this situation, or thought he was. That much had changed, Ben realised. When Ben had known him he was only just starting to figure out his power. Now, he was in control of it, and knew exactly how much of it he had to exercise in order to pull someone into line. He'd become used to the power, the magic. Ben almost felt sick. "You know, the way I see it, people who try to bully or frighten others usually just don't want it to happen to them. From what I've heard, deep down, I think you're a coward."

His father was still smiling, but now that smile seemed forced. Ben had hit a nerve.

Ben almost wanted to strangle him. But at the same time a part of him wanted to tell his father who he was, and throw his arms around him. Right now that was impossible. All could come up with in his current state of mind was antagonising his father further, and seeing the reaction he got. Maybe if he went too far and his father didn't kill him, well, perhaps it was the best result he could hope for.

He shrugged. "Maybe I just like talking to Belle. She's a very pretty woman." That had come out with barely a thought, and Ben realised he'd let his anger get the better of him. Well, he couldn't take it back now. He watched his father carefully.

Rumpelstiltskin looked at him, eyes narrowed. Then he broke into a smile and laughed. "What sort of fool do you take me for? You don't think I know the real reason you're here?"

Ben felt his blood run cold. If his father knew… why was he treating him with such contempt? "I…"

"Sherriff Swan really picked up a prize, didn't she? She's got you running around doing all her dirty work."

"What?"

Rumpelstiltskin lowered his voice. "Is it really that much of a problem that I'm taking up all her time getting her to help find my son? Don't look so surprised. I know she's told you. Or is it just that she's worried about what it is I can do now? Is she looking for a weakness? No, you're not here for Belle, and I wouldn't have to worry if you were."

"That's not the reason…"

Rumpelstiltskin took a sudden step forward, and Ben actually had to resist the urge to back away. His father looked up that extra couple of inches into Ben's eyes. He lifted up his cane, holding it so the handle was inches from Ben's face. "Stay away, Mr Thatch. From this shop. From Belle. And from me. Or I promise you, you'll find a reason to fear me soon enough."

Ben's vision actually clouded, so great was his anger. It wasn't that his father threatened him; he'd pretty much asked for that. But that his father felt he had to act this way for so small a trespass. Even if he was snooping, what did it matter when Rumpelstiltskin had so much power?

When he managed to pull himself back into reality, his father was no longer in his face, but getting into his car.

"I mean it, Mr Thatch," Rumpelstiltskin said over his shoulder. "Have a nice day."

Ben scowled, watching the vehicle pull away. He was overcome with the sudden urge to find the car and slash its tyres, or do something less obvious and more frustrating. He knew he was being immature, more so than when he'd let the comment slip about Belle. Was his father really getting to him that much?

As the car drove up the street and around the corner, an idea formed in Ben's mind. He smiled to himself. No, damaging it wasn't the way to go, but that didn't mean he wasn't onto something. Certain Rumpelstiltskin did not expect him to call him on his threat so soon; he ducked quickly into the pawn shop.

"What was that about?" Belle asked. "Did he…"

"Apparently, I'm not to talk to you anymore."

Belle's eyes narrowed. "He did what?"

For the briefest of moments, Ben almost wanted to play on that. But no, he hadn't come in here to get his father into trouble with his girlfriend. "No, not like that. Although I… never mind. He thinks I'm snooping on him, and…"

"But you are…"

"Not like that!"

Belle sighed. "Ben, you need to tell him…"

"I just need you to do one thing."

Belle closed her eyes briefly. "What?"

"His car… does he let you drive it sometimes?"

"Yes."

"I need you to break it."

"What? I wouldn't know how to break it!"

"If I can get in in the shop…"

"I know what you're getting at," said Belle. She shook her head. "I just don't know if it'll work. I _have_ broken it already… and he spent an hour working out how to fix it with magic. He went a bit funny about taking it in to the mechanics."

Ben huffed. "Everyone in Storybrooke is funny about their cars. They don't understand they can break because of that damn curse… anyway; you don't have to break it. Just when you have it, say you broke it, and bring it in. That's all you need to do."

Belle folded her arms. "You did make me a promise."

"I should go."

"Ben!"

"Alright! Bring the car in. I'll tell him then."

* * *

He'd lied. Well, he was worried it was going to turn out to be a lie. He'd actually sat down with Henry and worked out an elaborate plan to further string Rumpelstiltskin along. He wasn't going to use it, of course. He'd just been 'bonding' with Henry. The kid was so excited to help him out he couldn't say no. Now he was worried he'd actually bail on his promise to Belle.

_Settle down_, he told himself. _You've never run before, you're not going to start now._ But, Ben had to admit, he _had_ been doing a lot of procrastinating.

Now, he was forced to wait for Belle to hold up her end of the deal. It meant he could concentrate on his job; he'd even taken a couple hours of overtime. Waiting on someone else, and not his own procrastination was almost as bad as the frustration he'd felt before. Ben was confused. Well, he'd been dumped in another world and was now figuring out how to reconnect with his father he'd thought he'd never seen again. He was allowed to have a few issues working the whole thing out.

He'd muddled around the mechanics for the last couple of days, just waiting. He was almost at the point of daring to bug Belle again, when she pulled up in the vehicle, looking a little apprehensive.

"He's going to kill me, you know," she said as she handed the keys over, reluctantly.

Ben smiled. "I'm glad you're confident enough to say that figuratively."

"Good luck, Ben."

No one else at the mechanics would touch the car, and Ben was quite happy with that. They probably had good reason to be scared. In fact, Ben would have been perfectly happy if they didn't touch _any_ of the cars.

So it was that Ben settled down to tinker with this father's car. There really wasn't that much wrong with it, but he needed to hang on to it. He knew it wouldn't be for long. He announced that he'd need to fix a few things, and could hang around and complete the work as overtime. There had been no problem with that; everyone wanted Rumpelstiltskin's car out of the shop as soon as possible.

The only problem with that, Ben found himself thinking as his boss bid him goodnight and left the shop, was that he had pinched his father's car and had now been left alone.

* * *

**A/n: **Oh, Ben. Pinching daddy's car to get attention... :3


	8. Chapter 8: Car Trouble

Rumpelstiltskin walked home, swinging his cane out in front of him. It looked like his rather frank warning to Benjamin Thatch had hit home. The man hadn't visited Belle since he'd spoken to him. It appeared he'd been working a lot, and then just going home.

Belle hadn't said anything to him about the visits stopping, though she did seem disappointed and a little sad. That made him feel bad. He knew that she didn't get a lot of people to talk to, and he also knew that was a direct result of her relationship with him. He could handle the towns' fear, and the seclusion it resulted in. And actually, Belle could too. She'd been stuck in an asylum for twenty-eight years! But that didn't mean she should have to.

If setting her free had been as easy as telling her to take a walk into town and not come back, he would have done it. But things didn't work quite the same in this world. She had free reign of the town, but would still be lonely. Short of kicking her out, he could think of nothing that would help. Besides, she'd just come back. A faint smile crossed his lips. He would not make the mistake of doing that again. Belle hadn't died, as the Queen had so cruelly told him. But tossing her out back then had led to her being imprisoned in this world. He would not forgive Regina for that, and if she ever dared to come out of hiding…

Rumpelstiltskiin pushed down those thoughts. There was no point thinking about that now. It would just cause him unnecessary angst.

Besides, he had done the right thing by stopping Ben's visits, even if it compounded Belle's loneliness. It was highly likely that the sole reason that the man had been speaking to her was to dig up some dirt on him. Rumpelstiltskin scowled. So it was better he wasn't harassing her anymore.

It hadn't taken him overly long to figure out what is going on, after the man had shown up to view the house. Why he'd been asking such strange questions, and about the magic… It had puzzled him for a few hours. He'd even briefly wondered, yet again, if Emma had brought actually back his son. But then it hit him. She'd been harassing him about what he'd done with the magic she'd retrieved for him. She probably suspected he'd brought the magic back to Storybrooke. And that had been one of the questions Ben had practically asked.

It was a good thing the man was an idiot. He'd been visiting Belle like clockwork and that had made his intentions obvious. Rumpelstiltskin sighed. Well, it wasn't a problem now. With any luck Emma would give up on that avenue and concentrate on finding Baelfire.

Rumpelstiltskin felt the familiar ache in his chest as he thought of his son, and swallowed hard. It wouldn't be long now, he told himself. Even if Sherriff Swan was distracting herself, she had said she didn't have any issue with finding his son, and Rumpelstiltskin believed her. Thank the gods, he thought, he'd figured out Benjamin Thatch before he'd let himself be fooled. Again.

He'd reached his house now, only a little worn out. Belle had asked to borrow the car and he hadn't had the heart to say no. She'd learnt how to drive, with only a few close calls. Some of which had left Rumpelstiltskin terrified. But she'd stuck with it, and now it was only with mild apprehension that he let her use it. Besides, it was one form of freedom he could actually offer her.

Rumpelstiltskin approached the house, and then frowned. It was nearly dark. Belle should have been home by now. The car was nowhere to be seen. But then he saw a light on on the front porch. Suspicious now, he climbed the stairs, and found Belle sitting on one of the chairs, reading.

She looked up at him as he approached, and gave a timid smile. "Hi…" It was the same look she'd worn when she'd broken his teacup.

Rumpelstiltskin felt his blood run cold. His felt his whole body tense, his hands gripping onto his cane. "Where's the car?!" he snapped out. He knew the answer already.

* * *

Ben dropped a spanner and muttered a curse. Perhaps he'd just do that piece up again and leave it. His father could walk in at any moment and he didn't want to have any bits of hose loose when he did. He'd probably end up taking off in the car fairly quickly and the last thing Ben wanted, despite everything, was for him to have an accident.

He'd had thoughts of tinkering with something he shouldn't. Giving his father some mechanical problem that would be difficult to fix, or even find without some mechanical know-how. But he'd pushed the thought aside. Annoying him was one thing, but messing with the car was downright horrible, and possibly dangerous. So, instead, though he could find little wrong with the machine, he'd replaced all the filters as well as the oil.

This was what sons were supposed to do for their fathers in this world, right? Ben let out a huff. Rumpelstiltskin probably wouldn't notice the gesture but at least in Ben's mind, it might make up for stringing him along for so long.

For the first time since he'd arrived, Ben felt a shred of confidence in the inevitable conversation he was going to have with his father. He wasn't stupid. He knew Rumpelstiltskin might not believe him right away. He was probably going to get shouted at, but his father would eventually have to come around. If Belle was to be believed, and Ben was sure she was, as soon as Rumpelstiltskin was convinced this was his son before him he'd be accepted with open arms.

It'd be rocky. They'd have a lot to talk about. Ben certainly wasn't pleased about his father bringing magic over, or in letting him go down that hole all alone. He'd definitely have a few things to say about that. But they could work it out. It'd take a while, but it could be done.

Ben allowed himself a faint smile as he dug a hand down beside the car's engine. Where had that spanner gotten to? He reached behind another component, thinking it might have gone further back and felt something sticky. He frowned. Duct tape? Grief. So apparently whatever Belle had broken his father had needed more than magic to fix. He sighed. So there _was_ something in there that might need fixing.

He shifted around to the side of the car and pulled a flashlight out his pocket for a better look. Yup, duct tape. He could see a wad of it stuck right down in the bottom on the inside of the car's body. But what on earth had his father been trying to fix? He leaned in and tugged some back. This wasn't a car component. He'd taped something here. Ben reached in and tugged off a whole strip, then pulled his hand back with a yelp. Fresh blood glistened on his fingertip. He wiped it away. The cut was clean. "No…" Ben leaned in, shoving the flashlight down again. A glint of clean, polished metal gleamed back at him. No metal in this car should have shone that brightly, not even if it had been placed in some time recently, not even under all that tape. This metal was protected by something other, not of this world, and it did not tarnish or corrode.

Ben's hand began to shake, the beam of the flashlight wavering as it picked out the tip of a blade, on its surface etched the last four letters of his father's name.

Ben dropped the flashlight to the concrete floor. He snatched at the bonnet, and slammed it down to block the sight of that damned Knife. He could still see it, in his mind. Ben stared at the vehicle, hands balled into fists and shaking. Right then, he knew it for sure. His father had not changed.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin's heart was pounding as he approached the door to the mechanics. There was only security lighting on in the front office, but he thought he could see a light on in the back of the workshop. Benjamin Thatch was here, he knew it. He had taken his car for a reason, and it wasn't just for an oil change.

That Belle may have had something to do with this rattled him to no end, but surely she didn't know what the man was about. He must have just told her something was wrong with the car and she'd believed him. Rumpelstiltskin hadn't told her about the Knife. If he had, he knew she wouldn't have let the car go for anything. But that had been for her protection, not his. He'd told Baelfire everything about the Knife, and look what a mess that had led to.

Surely this man couldn't know about the Knife! But if he poked around in there too much… Rumpelstiltskin thrust the end of his cane through the glass door, the shattered glass plinking as it fell to the floor. He could have used magic. It would've been quieter, but would have taken longer. He'd become too used to this approach in his twenty-eight years here, and he was too rattled now to think straight.

He thrust open the door and marched through the office and into the workshop as quickly as he could. As he rounded the corner he caught sight of his car, and then Benjamin Thatch, turning from facing the vehicle with a rag in his hands.

Rumpelstiltskin felt a wave of rage build up inside of him. He was close enough now to feel the Knife. Ben didn't have it. If he did, he would feel a wall stopping him from willing harm on this man. He wanted to hurt him and nothing stood in his way.

The Knife was safe. But this man would still pay for daring to come so close to it. A ravenous, angry smile twisted Rumpelstiltskin's lips and he stepped towards Ben without hesitation.

* * *

Ben heard the glass shatter and knew his father was here. His heart still pounded from finding the Knife. He was angry. It barely registered in his thoughts that the weapons presence might make being in possession of the car all the more infuriating to Rumpelstiltskin.

He turned around, pressing a rag against his hands to at least hide the blood.

His father stepped into workshop, the picture of rage. He paused briefly as he spotted Ben, but then moved towards him.

He should have been scared. Storybrooke's most feared man was feared for a reason, even more so now. Still, he felt nothing but contempt. All of it, it was all just bluster! Even behind the rage, the rage itself; his father was only angry because Ben had almost come into possession of the Knife.

Ben threw the rag aside. "I've got something I want to talk to you about."

Rumpelstiltskin came to within inches of Ben's face and looked him right in the eye.

Ben stared back at him, unblinking. Rumpelstiltskin was looking for fear, but he wouldn't find it here.

"Oh really?" his father sneered. "Well, let's talk shall we?"

It happened so quickly that Ben was on his back before he realised what was going on. The back of his knees stung, and his head rung from where he'd struck it against the concrete. It took him a moment to realise that Rumpelstiltskin had tripped him up with the cane in one swift movement, and with surprising strength. This thought barely clicked into place when the cane was thrust into his left shoulder, pinning him back down to the dirty concrete floor.

Ben hadn't fought often. He had avoided it, the few people who'd tried to start fights with him only reminding him of the soldiers who'd harassed his father before he got his powers. And, after that, his father himself. But he'd defended himself when he'd needed. He wouldn't hurt his father, but he wouldn't let him push him around.

He grabbed at the cane and thrust it away, rolling himself back to a sitting position, keeping a grip on the cane. A sudden burst of, something, went through the cane and burnt his hand, sending it numb. Ben let out a grunt of surprise.

Rumpelstiltskin freed the cane from Ben's grip and pinned him down again. Ben saw purple smoke twist down the cane this time in a rush, and then it was in his shoulder, bringing a wash of pain before the numbness set in. He slumped back to the floor and let out a gasp, breaking out into a sweat.

Rumpelstiltskin kept the cane in his shoulder, though the flow magic had stopped. "Are you going to stay down, dearie? Or do I need to… 'raise my voice' again?"

Ben gasped in air, unable to reply. He glared at his father with a cold fury. "I… really did… need to talk to you…" he managed to get out.

Rumpelstiltskin smiled, though he still appeared angry. "You confuse me, Mr Thatch. I'm starting to wonder if you have a death wish."

"It's just a car…" Ben growled. He was starting to recover a bit. He might be able to get the cane off again, but he now knew he couldn't really fight back.

"I told you to stay away from me. That includes my car. Or do you require a comprehensive list?"

"You're nothing but a coward…"Ben growled.

Rumpelstiltskin leaned on the cane. Even through the numbness, Ben could feel enough to let out a grunt of pain. "You stole my car. I would say that is an act of cowardice. But I'm not so much interested in moralising with you. I'd like to know what it is you want from me?"

Ben looked up at his father, drawing in deep breaths. He could tell him now. But did he deserve to know? And would he believe him? Ben suddenly realised he was afraid. Well, that was a turn. But he'd been afraid before, he'd just never expected he'd be able to fear his father. But he knew now for certain that Rumpelstiltskin could and would hurt him. How much would he hurt him, knowing how close he'd come to the Knife? If he started claiming now to be his son, Rumpelstiltskin would probably not believe him, and the only other explanation he might be able to come up with was he'd been after the Knife, specifically. "I took the car because I wanted to get your attention."

"I've gathered that much."

Ben had proven absolutely hopeless at thinking on his feet. He'd winged this whole thing, and it had landed him here. But Henry had given him something. A plan. The boy was full of them. Now he could use the one he'd thought of as only entertainment for the boy, and it might just save his life. "I've heard you're the person to talk to if you need something done."

"I'm the person to talk to for a lot of things. Be more specific!" He lifted the cane and slammed it down on Ben's shoulder.

Ben felt that, and let out a muted cry. "Damn it! I… I want to make a deal with you!" he burst out. "I have another child. A daughter. I had… a… I partied a lot when I was younger. I need someone to help me get her back from… her mother."

Rumpelstiltskin didn't reply right away. He studied Ben carefully and then lifted his cane. "You want to make a deal? And just how much are you willing to give me so that I can find this child for you, and take it away from its mother?"

Ben pushed himself up to a seated position. He felt dirty, and it wasn't because of the grease and oil in his hair. "I'd give you anything. I heard that sort of thing doesn't bother you."

His father smiled. "No, not at all." He slammed his cane on the concrete floor, the sound echoing around the empty workshop and making Ben jump. "So this is why you wanted my attention. There are easier ways, you know."

"I guess I didn't know what I was getting myself into; guess I'm not too bright like that."

Rumpelstiltksin studied him, still seeming not entirely convinced. But the prospect of a deal seemed to have piqued his interest. Henry had been right on the money.

"Alright, Mr Thatch. I'll see what I can do for you. And you will owe me a favour, anything I ask for. Do we have a deal?"

Ben sighed. "Yes."

"Good. So where's this daughter of yours?"

Ben nearly panicked. Henry hadn't planned this far ahead for him. Then he felt a twinge in his shoulder, making him shudder. "Do you think… do you think we could discuss this tomorrow? I've just had the shit beaten out of me."

Rumpelstiltskin smiled. "I can live with that. Meet me _outside_ the pawn shop tomorrow, two o'clock." He paused, seeming to think for a moment and then hefted his cane up so he held it closer to its base. "And one more thing…"

Ben saw it coming this time, but was too dazed to get out of the way. The heavy handle hit him in the side of the head, sending him sprawling onto the concrete and into a puddle of oil.

"When I say stay away from me, I mean it! When we meet, it will be at my direction!" He stepped towards his car, and opened the driver's side door. "And if I ever see you messing with my vehicle again… I _will_ kill you, dearie."


	9. Chapter 9: The Knife

Emma shut the door to the apartment and let a sigh. It'd been a long day. "Looks like we're going to get a storm," she remarked to Snow, who was at the kitchen sink washing dishes. Snow White. Her mother. Who had previously been just her flat mate. That was taking some getting used to.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," said Emma. Too much work, too much madly running around making sure everyone behaved themselves and didn't run anyone through with a sword. Weather was a safe topic; she felt like discussing nothing else. A far away rumble of thunder underlined her words.

Snow frowned, turning the hot water tap on harder with a scowl. "Do you think that you could tell your boyfriend to get out of the shower?"

Emma sighed. "Snow, you know he's not my boyfriend…"

Her mother gave her a wicked grin. "Yeah, but Henry says I have to stay in character…"

"Of course he did…" Emma shook her head. She loved Henry to bits. But actually living with him was getting to be handful. Maybe it was the cramped quarters, but she was finding out what it was really like to have a child.

"Seriously, he came in like half an hour ago and hasn't come out... he's got to have used all the hot water by now."

"Yes, mom," said Emma. This earned her a glare from Snow. Emma went down to the bathroom door. Just as she reached it she heard the water turn off and something clatter to the floor of the shower. She heard Ben curse. "Hey, Ben… do you think you could _not_ break our bathroom? It's the only one we've got…"

She could hear him mutter something, then more clattering. In a moment the door opened revealing him standing in a towel and looking a little sheepish. "Sorry…" he muttered. "I really needed to wash my hair, got grease bloody everywhere…"

Emma looked him up and down, only briefly distracted by his bare chest. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Ben rubbed at the bruise on his shoulder and winced. "Yeah… papa didn't take kindly to me pinching his car…"

"You did what?! Ben…"

"I know. I'm stubborn… I didn't actually steal it I just got Belle to bring it the shop."

"And he did that to you? Wait, I shouldn't be surprised…"

"It wasn't about the car," Ben huffed.

"Then what?"

"That damn… the Knife." Something flashed across his face then. An anger that Emma hadn't seen him show before. His hands clamped into fists, hanging useless at his side.

"The knife… you mean _the_ Knife?"

Ben frowned. "He told you about it?"

Emma shook her head. "Of course not. Henry's book… I remember seeing… wait, let me show you…" She turned to head to the bedroom she shared with her son, then turned back around. "Maybe you'd better get dressed; put on a shirt. I don't want Henry to see…"

"Yeah, okay, I got it…" Ben closed back the bathroom door.

Emma went into the bedroom and retrieved the book, sitting down on the bed.

Ben followed a moment later, now wearing jeans and a t shirt. As he sat down next to her, Emma noticed he was also starting to get a black eye, but at least it didn't look as bad as his shoulder.

"What's this?" Ben asked.

"Henry's book. For some reason it's very… accurate. Unnervingly so."

"Where'd it come from?"

"Damned if I know…" Emma flicked open the pages, finding with some difficulty Rumpelstiltskin's story. Perhaps it would pay if she got to know this a little bit better.

Ben leaned over. "That's the Knife…"

Emma skimmed the pages. She really did need to take a better look at this. "Apparently it's something to do with the source of his power. Ben, when you said this was about the Knife and not the car…"

"The Knife was in the car. That's why he went nuts on me."

"Can't you see how dangerous this is? Especially now? You need to tell him who you are, before you get hurt worse…"

Ben stood to his feet. "What does it matter? That damned Knife! He still has it! Why can't he let the damned thing go!?" He lifted a fist as if to slam it into the wall, but just managed to hold it in. "What does he need me for? He's got the Knife!"

"Ben…" Emma stood up and grabbed his arm, bringing it down before he changed his mind and did some damage to their little apartment. "How are you supposed to know if you don't tell him? You have to tell him; even if it's just to make sure he doesn't hurt you again."

Ben drew in deep breaths, then pulled his arm free and turned away. "I have to get rid of that Knife…"

"No, stay away from the Knife entirely!"

Ben turned at her commanding tone. "I… I have to do something. Look what it's done to him." He let out an exhausted sigh, and hung his head.

Emma reached a hand to his shoulder, then moved it right before she touched him to his back, for fear of hurting him. "If you go near that again, he's going to kill you. For once, stop trying to do things on your own, and listen to me. Tell him who you are. Somewhere away from his car, and away from the Knife. He won't kill you for that, even if he doesn't believe you right away. But Ben, you have to stay away from that Knife. Promise me."

Ben nodded slowly. "Yeah, alright."

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin wondered if Belle had suspected he'd done something to Ben when he'd finally returned with the car. But, for once, she had him entirely confused. Usually, if she'd taken issue with something he'd done, she would not hesitate to spell it out for him.

He's snapped at her when he returned over her taking it in, to which he'd got a terse reply on him never actually telling her not to. Then she'd asked about the man.

_"I only gave him what he deserved. Don't you see he was just using you to get to me?"_

_"Because that's the only way he'd talk to me, is that it?"_

_"No. Because he took my car!"_

_"It's just a car! What are you so scared of?"_

_"Nothing. I have magic, what do I have to be afraid of?"_

_"Lots of things. I can't imagine why, with the magic. But you're definitely scared. Did you hurt him?"_

_He sighed. "Not permanently."_

_She fixed him with a glare._

_"What does it matter to you anyway? He was using you, Belle."_

_"It should matter to you."_

_"Why?"_

_She sighed. "He didn't tell you, did he?"_

_"He told me he wanted a deal. You knew about this?"_

She would usually have told him the truth then; tell him exactly what she thought. She would tell him exactly what he was thinking too, like she could see through him as if for all his attempts to hide his feelings he was nothing but a thin pane of glass.

Instead, she'd shaken her head and muttered something about being 'too much alike' and then stomped off into the kitchen. What was that supposed to mean?! Rumpelstiltskin didn't like these sorts of arguments. Belle was always crystal clear. This just left him confused.

They hadn't really spoken to each other for the rest of the night, though they made no overt attempts to relocate to a different part of the house. Eventually, Belle went up for a shower. She'd been gone for nearly five minutes, when Rumpelstiltskin remembered he'd meant to hide the Knife again, once she was out of the way. He'd been too distracted wondering what was going on with her.

A brief hint of fear stabbed at him, but he pushed it down. The Knife had been safe in the car for a few months. Ben hadn't even found it. It wouldn't suddenly be a problem because he'd forgotten if for five minutes. But he should move it, one because Ben may have seen it, and two because the car had been a rather silly place to hide it in the first place. And, as he heard the thunder growing nearing, if he left it much longer he was going to get his suit wet.

With a sigh, Rumpelstiltskin stood to his feet and headed towards the front door. He was nearly there, when he thought he heard something creak. He was imagining things surely, but it sounded like the bonnet of his car opening.

Rumpelstiltskin felt his heart skip a beat. He retrieved the hand gun he kept in the little table in the entrance hall, and cautiously opened the front door.

* * *

Ben stared up at the lounge room ceiling. He lay on the sofa, for once, unable to fall asleep. A flash of lightning briefly lit the ceiling through the crack in the curtains. He counted to thirteen before he heard the crack of thunder. His father had taught him that, he remembered. He shook his head. How had that come to mind? And what if sound travelled faster or slower in this world? He shook his head again at the absolutely randomness at that thought. Then, with a growl, pushed himself to his feet.

He hadn't planned to lie to Emma, he told himself. But his black, hooded jacket has lying beside the sofa, waiting for him. As were his shoes. He slipped these on, and quietly opened the front door.

"Where are you going?"

Ben spun around to find Henry standing in the hallway, rubbing at his eyes.

"What are you doing up?"

"I was getting a glass of water… you didn't answer my question."

Ben sighed. This kid was way too smart. "I'm going out…"

"At nearly midnight? Is this about your dad?"

"Yes. Henry… I'm, I'm going to go tell him who I am." When, Ben suddenly realised, had lying come so easily to him? He'd been doing it so much over the last week that had slipped out with barely a thought. He sighed. "Please don't tell Emma…"

"Yeah, I guess, but…"

"Thanks, Henry." Ben slipped out without looking back. He wasn't going to continue that conversation; he didn't feel like getting argued into a corner by a ten year old. Or stopped.

The wind was picking up as he walked down Storybrooke's nearly empty streets. It didn't take him long to get to his father's house. He paused at the gate, standing in shadow. He'd frozen. His heart thundered, like the sky in the east. Taking a deep breath, Ben slipped up the driveway. The car sat there.

Ben stood there in the darkness, staring at if for a full minute. Did he want to find it there, or did he want it gone?

Slowly, he would feel his anger begin to build again. He'd do what he came here to do. Get that Knife away from this father. It'd serve him right if he found it suddenly missing, but it'd be for his own good.

His lips twisting into a scowl, Ben stomped through the gravel to the front of the car and lifted the hood. He reached down, his fingers finding the wad of duct tape easily in the darkness. It was right where it had been. He yanked it free, making sure he kept his fingers away from the blade. He ripped the duct tape away, grasped the hilt, and held the Knife up before him.

Lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the blade in a cold white light. His father's name shone back at him, etched into the metal's surface. This was it. A part of him had thought for a moment he could have been mistaken, but he could no longer fool himself now.

He drew in deep breaths as tears stung his eyes and blurred his vision. "Damn it, papa…"

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Ben spun around, and from pure reflex held the Knife out in front of him.

Another flash of lightning revealed his father, moving cautiously towards him across the yard. He held a pistol in his hand.

The two men faced each other. One holding a gun, the other a knife. They were mismatched, but not in the manner it would first appear. In the next flash of lightning Ben saw his father's hand shook, the tip of the pistol wavering.

"Give... give me that knife." Rumpelstiltskin's voice wavered too. Then he seemed to grasp at some remaining shred of anger, and snarled out. "Give it back to me!"

Ben's eyes moved to the Knife. He held it in front of him, in more of a defensive posture, rather than if he would thrust it into his father. He looked back up in time to catch Rumpelstiltskin take a step closer. And then, feeling the pain in his shoulder, realising his father held a gun, Ben suddenly feared for his life. He held up the Knife. "Don't come any closer!"

Rumpelstiltskin froze, and a shudder ran through him. It seemed as if he'd engaged some great feat of will, but failed to disobey Ben's command. Because with the Knife in his hand, a command it had been. "What do you want from me?" His father asked, lowering his gun. It was no longer the hate filled demand he'd shouted at him before. He was begging. In fact, it looked like he was about to burst into tears.

Ben had seen that look before. Before his father had taken the Dark One's powers. When the soldiers had pushed him around, so many times. Only now it was he who was doing it to him. "God… no, no…!" Ben lowered the Knife.

What was wrong with him?! What was he doing?! He was no better than those soldiers, no better than his father. He was a coward, pushed to this by fear, almost before he realised how far he'd gone. But he would go no further. "No…" He looked at the Knife, suddenly just wanting to be rid of it. "I'm sorry…"He stepped towards Rumpelstiltskin.

His father shied away from him. But Ben grasped him by the arm, snatched the gun from him and threw it to the ground, then placed the hilt of the Knife into his hand. "Here, I'm… I'm sorry…" He couldn't stay and tell him now. Not after what he'd done to him, not after seeing that fear in his father's eyes. He'd go back to Emma's apartment. He'd find Rumpelstiltskin tomorrow, or the day after. He'd let him know he was son, and beg for his forgiveness. He turned to leave.

"Wait…"

Ben turned back, just in time to see the fear and confusion on his father's face disappear to be replaced by hate and blind rage. And then he felt cold steel pierce his belly.


	10. Chapter 10: Trip to the Woods

"Emma, Emma…"

Emma let out a grumble and rolled over in bed. "What…?" she groaned.

Henry was standing beside her bed, poking her. A lot. Grief. A flash of lightning lit up the room in a subdued light, filtered through the curtains.

"Henry…" Emma muttered, still half asleep. "It's just a storm, go back to sleep…"

"I'm not afraid of a storm!" said Henry, sounding rather offended.

Emma let out a sigh and pushed herself up. Why had no one ever told her this was going to be so hard? "What then?"

"It's Ben. He snuck out about half an hour ago. He said he was going to tell his father who he was, but I think he's…"

Emma shot out of bed and flicked on the light. Big mistake. It gave her a blinding headache and she was squinting so much she still couldn't see. She managed to find her jacket. "He's gone?"

"Yeah… he said not to tell you. But I thought it was rather strange he thought the middle of the night was a good time to tell Rumpelstiltskin…"

"He isn't telling him. He's lying. He's…" Emma trailed off. She couldn't tell Henry it involved the Knife.

"What?"

"Go back to bed. I'll bring him back, I promise." She ruffled a hand through her son's hair, then dashed down the hallway and out the front door before he could protest.

"Oh Ben, what're you _doing_…"

* * *

Ben doubled over and drew in a ragged breath as his world spun about him. Pain wracked his middle. Ben grasped onto his father's hands to gain some support. His stomach burned, and though he tried to keep upright his knees were bending beneath him under the sudden, immense weight of his own body.

"I told you to stay away!" Rumpelstiltskin pulled the Knife free with a vicious yank. He shoved Ben away.

Ben cried out and stumbled back, coming to rest with one hand against the car, his other pressed to his stomach.

"Rumpelstiltskin…?" Belle's voice wafted down from the house. "Are you…" The soft sound was cut off by a crack of thunder.

Belle! Ben gathered a shuddering breath into his lungs and called out: "Be… Belle!" His voice was ragged and weak.

Rumpelstiltskin glanced behind him anxiously, before turning back to Ben. "Shut up!" He grasped him by the jacket and pushed him back, opened the passenger door to the car and tossed him inside.

Ben collapsed on the seat, gasping and struggling for air. He looked down at his middle. His hands, trying so desperately to keep himself together, were covered in blood. He pressed them back against his middle, partly with the thought of stopping the blood flow, partly to try and lessen the pain.

The driver's door opened and Rumpelstiltskin climbed in and started the engine.

Ben reached out a hand, but quick as a cobra his father whipped up his cane and slapped it across Ben's arm, then pushed him up against the passenger door.

Ben whimpered as his head struck the window. "I… just…"

"I don't give a damn!" Rumpelstiltskin snarled. He stomped his foot to the floor and the car reversed out the driveway, tyres squealing. He threw it into first gear and turned up the road.

Ben struggled to push himself upright, keeping himself up against the window, and away from his father's cane. "Please… you have to listen to me."

Lightning flashed, thunder cracked, and it began to rain. Rumpelstiltskin turned on the windscreen wipers. He paid Ben no mind, staring out the windshield with a cold anger and determination in his eyes.

Ben drew in shuddering breaths. They were speeding away from Storybrooke. All he needed was enough air in his lungs to make his father hear him. He gathered his strength, almost losing it all as a sob made it past his lips. "Papa… I'm your son. I'm Baelfire!"

His father's head whipped around and he stared at Ben wide eyed, his expression unreadable.

Ben felt his chest shuddering, his body was shutting down. Tears started to form in his eyes.

"Liar!" Rumpelstiltskin snarled, turning his attention back to the road. He jerked the steering wheel suddenly; apparently they'd nearly veered to the side.

"Why… why would I lie?" Ben struggled out. He was hurt, his strength fading fast, but he had to get this out. And so he put everything he had into forcing out the words. "I'm your son!"

"Baelfire would never use the Knife like that!" his father snapped.

"I didn't mean to! I just… wanted to get it away from you. It was…" He gasped. "An accident."

His father slammed on the brakes. The car jerked to a halt and Ben was thrown against the dash. "Get out!"

"Papa…"

His father waved his hand, and the door opened of its own accord. Then he picked up the cane again and pushed Ben out the open door.

Ben sprawled to the side of the road. They were outside Storybrooke, somewhere in the woods. It was wet. He was almost immediately soaked by the rain. He had to convince his father. He got his legs under him. One hand on the side of the car, one still holding himself together, he pushed himself up shakily.

The driver's side door slammed and Rumpelstiltskin came around the front of the car. Lightning lit up the sky. Rumpelstiltskin held his cane in one hand, and a gun in the other.

Ben stumbled back, losing the support of the car. He was too scared of the man the stood before him. Tears blurred his vision, mixing with the rain as they ran down his face. "Papa, please…"

"Stop calling me that!" Rumpelstiltskin took another step forward, and Ben was forced to take a shaky step back, closer to the embankment at the side of the road.

"I'm not…" Pain wracked his body again, and it was only with every inch of willpower that he forced himself to go on. His life depended on it. "I'm not lying. Why would I…"

"Because I'm about to kill you," Rumpelstiltskin said. "That seems like pretty good motivation to me!"

It was hopeless, Ben realised. He slumped forward, doubled over. "Why? I'm not a threat," he panted. "Not now."

"You knew about the Knife. I don't know how and I don't know why. And nor do I need to. I don't need to know any of that to take care of you. All I have to do is put you down." He stepped towards him, and Ben didn't even have the strength to back away.

He shuddered and closed his eyes. The cane hit him, and he tumbled down the embankment, sprawling in the wet leaves. Ben forced himself to look up.

His father stood at the side of the road, at the top of the embankment. The cars headlights cut out his silhouette, shrouding his face in darkness. He now leaned on the cane. He had the gun pointed straight at Ben.

Ben could feel himself fading. But before that happened, his father would kill him. He'd been unable to convince him. Of course not. He'd pushed it too far, and then done the unthinkable. He'd had no hope in hell of his father believing him, and it was all his own fault. Ben let out a sob and dropped his gaze, unable to look at his father in his final moments. "Papa…" he said, his voice barely audible even to himself. "I'm sorry."

There was a blinding flash, and then a crack. Ben's strength completely left him and he slumped motionless in the damp leaves.

* * *

Emma drew to a screeching halt on the wet road, outside Rumpelstiltskin's house. She climbed out of her sheriff's vehicle and slammed the door. "Ben!" It had started to rain on the way over, and she was instantly wet, but she couldn't worry about that now.

She saw a shape in the front yard, then lightning lit the sky and she realised it was Belle, holding an umbrella to keep dry. She came to the curb.

"Belle, where's Rumpelstiltskin!?" Emma demanded.

"He just left in the car…"

"Damn it…"

"You were calling Ben. He was here?" Belle asked. She fixed Emma with an intense look.

"Yes. I shouldn't have let him keep doing this…"

"And I should have told Rumpelstiltskin about Ben when I had the chance, but we can't change that now. Emma, if he was here, I think Rumpelstiltskin… I don't know what he's done. But we have to find them."

"We…?" Emma began, but, as another flash of lightning lit up Belle's face, and she saw her determined look, she realised she'd be anything but a hindrance. "Where do you think they went?"

"He went up the road that way… I'm guessing into the woods."

Emma winced. Woods definitely didn't bode well. She turned back to Belle and nodded to the passenger door. "Alright, get in."

* * *

The last blinding flash of lightning and the crash of thunder had been directly overhead, but it did not startle Rumpelstiltskin as he stared down at the man who claimed to be his son.

Ben had slumped down, possibly unconscious, maybe just too weak to keep himself upright.

Rumpelstiltskin had left in such a rush, to avoid Belle finding out, he had barely thought this through. And Ben had angered him so much when he dared to claim to be his son. As the words had left the man's mouth, it had startled Rumpelstiltskin so much he'd almost believed him. The thought that he had stabbed his own son… He had been unable to handle it. It was a good thing it wasn't true.

This man was no threat now. Rumpelstiltskin lowered the gun, unfired. When had he gone soft, he wondered? But no, there was just no point in wasting the bullet. Guns were more complicated than a sword; he'd found out previously they could be traced. The man would be dead within the hour; he'd be unable to trouble the Knife again. Unless Emma Swan came looking for him… That possibility crossed his mind, and again he lifted the gun up to point at the unconscious man.

He let it fall to his side again. So what? He'd live, but the chances he would try to chase down the Knife again were slim. Perhaps it was a risk, but somehow Rumpelstiltskin could not bring himself to fire the weapon.

He got back in the car. He was wet, and the inside of the vehicle stunk of blood. Ben had smeared some up the window. That could be cleared up with a bit of magic, and if not, there was always hydrogen peroxide. He was too flustered to deal with it now, but he'd have to keep Belle away from it until he did.

Rumpelstiltskin drove down the forest road. It was raining harder now, he could feel the car ever so slightly losing traction and then regaining it. It briefly crossed his mind that, in weather like this, there was no hope for the man he'd left at the side of the road.

His thoughts were interrupted by the glare of headlights on the road ahead. He slowed down as he caught sight of the blue and red flashing on the approaching vehicle's roof. Rumpelstiltskin slammed on the brakes as the sheriff's car swerved in front of him, its horn blaring, and forced him to the side of the road.

* * *

"That's his car… wait!" Belle didn't seem prepared for Emma's reaction to this piece of information. "Careful!"

"He's fine…" Emma muttered, bringing her car to a halt such that it blocked the nose of Rumpelstiltskin's, should he try to take off. She expected he wouldn't. But she had to make sure Ben was alright and she meant to make sure Rumpelstiltskin knew she meant business. What frightened her was the thought that she might already be too late. After all, Rumpelstiltskin was driving _back_ from wherever it was he had been.

Emma slammed her car door and stomped out into the road. Rumpelstiltskin had also exited his vehicle, coming to stand beside it in the pouring rain. Emma briefly had the urge to grab him by the collar and pin him to the car's door, but then she remembered he now had magic. That may not be the best approach. She settled for coming within inches of him, glaring into his eyes. "Where is he?"

Rumpelstiltskin seemed to study her, unfazed by her display of anger. But Emma didn't back down. She was just about to shout at him again, when he let out a sigh and shook his head. "He's up the road. Just past the sign."

That had been easy. Emma frowned at him.

"You'd better hurry, Miss Swan." He didn't elaborate. He didn't need to.

"You bastard," she spat at him, before turning away.

"Maybe if you hadn't had him doing your dirty work…"

Emma spun on him.

"Was it your idea? Or his? To pretend to be my son?"

Emma shook her head. "You idiot… I bring a man to town after going out, specifically, to find your son… who the hell do you think it would be?!"

Perhaps she imagined it. The briefest flash of uncertainty broke through Rumpelstiltskin's steady gaze. Then she saw that Belle had climbed from her car. Perhaps that was why. "You explain it to him!" she snapped. "I have to help Ben…"

Emma climbed back into the sheriff's car and tore off with a screech of tyres. Let Belle explain it, she thought, as she tore up the wet road at a far from safe speed. She didn't have the time to make Rumpelstiltskin regret whatever it was he had done. She just hoped she wasn't too late.

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Rumpelstiltskin sighed and shook his head. Wonderful. What was she going to think of him now?

"Rumpelstiltskin," Belle rushed over to him, holding an umbrella which she put over both of them. It did little in the driving rain. "Emma's right…"

"About what?"

"Ben is Baelfire! He's your son!"

Rumpelstiltskin felt himself grow angry. So they had been telling Belle these lies too? "I know that's what they told you, but it's not true."

"How do you know…"

"I think I'd know my own son!" he snapped out, louder than he'd meant to. He drew in a breath, calming himself. "He tried to…" He couldn't think how to explain it without mentioning the Knife. "That man is not Baelfire!"

Lightning flashed in the sky overhead, and Belle was looking up into his eyes. "Emma brought him back! And Ben didn't tell you right away who he was, because he wanted to find out what sort of man you'd become; whether you'd changed. Don't you think _he_ may have changed too? He's a grown man, Rumpelstiltskin! And after he made that deal with you and you went back on it… that had to have hurt, and if it resulted in him being left here all alone, I know you didn't mean to let him go, but…"

Rumpelstiltskin didn't hear anything beyond Belle's mention of the deal. The one deal he had broken. He had never told Belle that. And no one else should know. He suddenly felt cold, and it wasn't from the rain. "Who told you that!? About the deal we made…" he grasped onto her hands.

Belle blinked. "Ben…"

Rumpelstiltskin could feel his hands shaking. The whole world seemed to shift about him. Belle was the only solid thing, and so he held onto her.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" She must have said his name once or twice already, before he was able to look back into her eyes. Her eyes that looked at him with a pity he felt he could never deserve. "What did you do to him?"

What _had_ he done? To his son. The despair was almost too much, but Bae could still be alive. He had to go back for him. He looked at Belle, gripping her hands around the umbrella, because she was the one thing that would give him the strength to do so. "I hurt him. He might be… Belle, help me."

She squeezed him back. "Come on, we'll go get him."


	11. Chapter 11: Not Going Anywhere

"Ben!" Emma's flashlight swept the forest floor, picking out falling raindrops, leaves, but nothing more. She went a few paces up the road, and swept the nearby trees with the light again. "Ben!" A flash of lightning, and she spotted what looked like just a damp heap of dirt. She fixed her light on it.

"Shit…" Emma ran down the embankment, skidding on the wet leaves and coming to a halt next to the curled up, wet bundle. "Ben?" She grasped the man's shoulder, rolling him over.

Ben let out a moan. He wasn't dead!

Emma swallowed hard as her flashlight picked out the patch of pink slowly spreading across the man's shirt. Oh she hoped that was just looked bad because he was wet. She pulled up his shirt and drew in a hiss when she saw the seeping wound in his belly. Seeping, but not gushing, was the only good thing she could see about it. Who knew what damage had been done inside?

She was wearing a scarf, and pulled this off, wadded it up and pushed it into the wound and leaned down hard.

Ben moaned again and then shuddered.

"Sorry, sorry…" That had to hurt, but she had no choice.

Now what? She had to get him out of here. If that would even help. No, she couldn't think like that.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the woods were flooded with light. She looked up to see a car pull up on the edge of the road next to hers. Rumpelstiltskin's. "Well, about time…"

The car door opened and Rumpelstiltskin hurried out and down to them, Belle following close behind. He was rushing. She he should, Emma thought, after what he'd done.

The man dropped to his knees beside her. "Bae…?" his voice was wavering.

Emma grabbed him by the shoulder of his jacket with her free hand, startling him and forcing him to look at her. She'd make sure he knew exactly what he'd done here, how close Ben was to death and that he was the only one to blame. Words to that effect were right on the tip of her tongue, when lightning lit the sky again and revealed the look on the man's face. Emma paused. She knew that look. It must have been the same she'd worn when she'd thought she was about to lose Henry. Desperation and fear, its depths unfathomable unless you'd experienced it yourself.

The two stared at each other for a moment. The words died on the tip of Emma's tongue; suddenly she just didn't have the heart. "Hold this." Was all she said as she grabbed his arm and pushed his hand into the damp scarf. She stood to her feet, and retrieved her phone from a pocket.

* * *

Rumpelstiltskin's world was falling apart. He couldn't lose Bae. He'd been looking for him for so, so long. When he'd hit upon the scheme to bring himself, and magic, over into this world, everything had seemed like it might be okay again. This would ruin everything, and there was no doubt in Rumpelstiltskin's mind that he had brought this about himself.

And his son. His son didn't deserve this. Even though he had lied to him, not telling him his true identity right away, Rumpelstiltskin could not hold that against him. He should have known who he was, or at worst, he should have believed him when he'd told him in the car. How could he have been so blind? Oh gods, what had he done?

Rumpelstiltskin pulled Baelfire towards him, cradling his head in his free hand. Belle had come to stand behind him, holding the umbrella over them both.

Bae stirred as Rumpelstiltskin brought him close. His eyes cracked open. "Papa…?" He lifted a hand, only barely getting it up, and grasped at his father's jacket. "You. Came back…" He coughed, and a trickle of blood made it past his lips.

"I'm so sorry, Bae," Rumpelstiltskin's vision blurred.

"I can't get any reception!" Emma shouted, snapping him somewhat back to reality. "We'll have to take him to the hospital…" she trailed off as she came to stand beside them again. She was looking down at Bae and something in her eyes said she didn't think that was going to help.

"Emma," said Belle, "I think he'll die if we move him…"

Emma let out a sigh and her shoulders drooped. "I don't think we have much choice but to try…"

Rumpelstiltskin looked back down at Bae. His eyes were slipping closed, and his grip on his father's jacket was loosening. "No… no, I'm not going to lose him again. Bae," Rumpelstiltskin drew in a sob. He could feel himself giving into despair, but he had to hang on just for a few more moments. "I know you're not going to like this… but otherwise I'm going to lose you forever…"

Rumpelstiltskin drew in a shaking, shuddering breath, then pushed Emma's scarf away and pressed his hand to his son's belly. He let a burst of magic flow down his arm and into Bae. He didn't know if this would work. Magic was unpredictable here and he had never tried to do something like this. Not here. But Bae was so near death, he couldn't possibly make this any worse.

A purple glow lit the air around them. Rumpelstiltskin could feel the energy flowing into his son. Healing him? He hoped so. He put every ounce of his strength into that spell. If he could just fix the wound, then that would be enough.

The glow faded. Did he imagine that his son's heartbeat was a bit steadier under his palm? Rumpelstiltskin swallowed hard, and moved his hand, waiting for the next flash of lightning to show him if he'd succeeded. Emma's torch got there first.

"Shit…" Emma whispered. The light picked out smooth, healed skin where the stab wound had been.

Bae's breathing had steadied, he was still unconscious, but he was alive! Rumpelstiltskin felt a shudder run through him. He wrapped his arms about his son.

* * *

Emma had driven them back home. She suggested they still take Ben to the hospital, but Rumpelstiltskin had, in the only words he'd spoken for the whole trip, made it very clear that they would not be going.

_"Miss Swan, we're taking him home. Unless you'd like to debate that?" _

She'd looked like she was, seriously, considering it for a moment. But Rumpelstiltskin could have made her, and she knew that.

Apart from those words, he'd sat in the back seat of the sheriff's car, his attention solely focused on his unconscious son. He was going to be alright, Belle had told Emma that, and she believed it herself. She suspected Rumpelstiltskin just didn't want the publicity of the hospital, and Ben wasn't at risk.

Belle and Emma had carried Ben up the stairs, and into the spare room. They'd left Rumpelstiltskin upstairs with him.

"You sure he's going to be alright?" Emma shifted nervously. She glanced upwards as she paused at the front door, as if she could somehow see through the ceiling.

"He's not going to do anything to him…"

"That's not what I meant."

Belle sighed. "I know."

"I'm going to come back tomorrow and make sure he's okay," she said firmly. It didn't seem she was too pleased that Rumpelstiltskin had threatened her into not taking Ben to the hospital. But Belle could tell she was just worried.

She nodded. "I don't think that will be a problem. I'll make sure it's not."

Emma smiled, ever so slightly. "Good."

"Emma, in case Rumpelstiltskin forgets… thanks for finding him."

"I'm not expecting a thank you. Besides, I didn't have much choice." She shrugged. "But thanks, Belle. I'll be back tomorrow to check on Ben."

When she left, Belle made her way back up the stairs to the spare room. She hoped Rumpelstiltskin was okay. He had been shaken, that much she could tell. And who could blame him? His son had come so close to death. And it was Rumpelstiltskin who had stabbed him. Belle knew, had he died, Rumpelstiltskin would never have forgiven himself.

She'd reached the top of the stairs when Rumpelstiltskin came out of the spare room, holding a bundle of Ben's wet clothes in his arms. He looked up as he saw Belle. "Is she gone?"

Belle sighed. "Yes. She was just worried… here…" She came and took the pile from him and put it on a nearby side table. She reached out and grasped him by the shoulders. "Are you alright?"

Rumpelstiltskin seemed to look down at her, but his gaze was unfocused and far away. "I was just… going to find a chair."

"You want to stay with him?"

He nodded.

"I'll get you one. But maybe you should go have a shower first." Belle reached up and pushed a damp strand of hair back from his face. "You're soaking wet."

Rumpelstiltskin looked down at himself, as if he had only just realised this. He looked at his hands, which were slightly stained with his son's blood. He looked back up at Belle, and she could see the tears building in his eyes. "I nearly killed him, I…" He closed his eyes tight as a shudder ran through him.

Belle drew him into her arms and held on tight. "It's okay…he's safe now."

* * *

Ben woke. He felt groggy, and momentarily wondered if he had a hangover. Where was he? Morning light played across the ceiling. An unfamiliar ceiling. Ben frowned, and just lay there for a moment, letting his mind pull itself into the waking world.

The woods. His father. The Knife. The memories came flooding back. So why was he here? Ben moved his hand under the blanket, feeling his side. There was no wound, nothing. He pushed himself up and squinted at the pain that followed. It was nothing specific, certainly nothing that a stab to the side should bring, just an all over ache. He felt a little light headed as well. And hungry.

Ben rubbed his hands across his eyes, blinking, and took in the room. That's when he spotted his father.

He was asleep. At the bottom of the bed, he had pulled up a chair that could not have been comfortable to sleep in. His arms were folded on the bottom edge of the bed, his head resting against them. He looked exhausted.

Ben stared at him for a moment and then quietly pulled his legs up towards himself with great care. His father didn't stir. He'd probably been there all night, Ben suddenly realised. For a moment, he just watched him. The man who had nearly killed him, now so worried for his safety he had not left his side. Ben glanced down at his belly again. There was barely a mark. His father must have used magic.

Ben let out a quiet sigh, and slipped out of the bed. His clothes were clean, lying on a nearby dresser. He slipped them on, not failing to notice the slit in the side of his shirt. He looked again at his father, and the feeling he now could admit to himself was fear, came back. He could wake him now. But he wasn't quite ready for that conversation yet. He slipped quietly through the door and downstairs.

Belle smiled at him as he entered the dining room. "Hello… you feeling alright?"

Ben nodded, though he did still feel a bit out of it. "Yeah, just a bit hungry."

"Well, that's one thing I can fix." Belle headed into the kitchen. She came back moments later with hot coffee and some pancakes.

They were a bit burnt, but Ben was ravenous, and after consuming half of what she had given him he was starting to feel a bit more like himself. He studied his next mouthful, and deciding there were more pressing matters than continuing to fill his stomach, turned to Belle. "What happened?""

He didn't need to extrapolate. She looked up at him, and gave a half-hearted smile. "You were nearly gone. I managed to convince Rumpelstiltskin who you were, in time. He saved you."

"He used magic?"

"Yeah…"

Ben frowned, but could not bring himself to condemn his father's actions. They had after all saved him. Well, not his actions after he'd realised who he was. "He still tried to kill me," he said quietly.

"If he had known… Ben, I'm sorry, I should've just ignored you, and told him who you were as soon as I knew."

Ben smiled slightly. "Yeah. Can't say I've taken the best approach with this… but…" It still ate at him. He'd proven what he'd set out to prove from the start. Or rather, what he had hoped to disprove. His father had been happy to do away with him simply because he viewed him as a threat. What had the Knife done to him?

"Bae?"

Ben felt himself tense at his father's voice. He looked up at Belle, giving her an imploring look.

"I better go check the kettle…" said Belle, standing up from the table.

Though Ben followed her with his gaze until she entered the kitchen, she either didn't realise he wanted her to stay, or was ignoring her entirely.

Ben drew in a breath. Well, it was time to stop running scared. He stood from his place at the dining table and turned around.

His father stood in the entrance to the dining room, leaning on his cane. He had it firmly planted in the ground, as if he could keep himself standing there just by pushing it as far as he could into the floorboards. Rumpelstiltskin stared at Ben for a moment, as if lost for words, then finally came out with. "Are you feeling better?"

Ben shrugged. "I was just… hungry…" he gestured at his half-finished breakfast.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. For a second he moved his weight off the cane, as if he wanted to come towards Ben, but then he paused again. "Bae…" He forced himself to look away, at some point on the dining table. "I'm so sorry. I was just… there's no excuse…"

"I should have told you who I was…" Ben started.

"No," Rumpelstiltskin shook his head, cutting him short. "I can understand why you didn't. I let you come here alone. What sort of father would do that? You've had to grow up here all alone. You had to find out if I really still wanted you. But Bae… everything I have ever done since I lost you was to find you! I missed you so much!" His lip quivered as he spoke, and Ben could see the tears filling his eyes.

"Everything? The magic…" He shook his head, not willing to pursue that right now. "Papa, I knew you wanted me; that wasn't the reason. I needed to see how you'd treat me if you didn't know who I was. You can't… just… off someone because they frighten you. How does that make you any different?" Ben knew those words would cut his father deep, but he couldn't not speak them.

His father swallowed hard. A tear escaped and slid down his cheek. "I know you might not like what you see, Bae. I know you never really did. But this is what I am."

Ben shook his head in disagreement, but he could not actually think of any words to rebut his father's last statement.

"And after everything I've done to you, I can completely understand if you want to leave… I won't try to stop you." He trailed off and hung his head. Ben could see his shoulders start to shake.

Ben felt his hands tense into fists. He knew his father was not the man he had hoped to find. He was far, far from it. Ben had given up his whole world to try and save his father. That had failed, miserably. His father had attempted to fix it in perhaps the worst possible way, but he too had given everything. Though he'd brought magic, the very thing Ben had tried to save him from, despite all that he had given Ben something. His father was here now, and he had a second chance to save him. He didn't know how to go about that but he would not abandon him now.

Ben stepped forward and put his arms around Rumpelstiltskin's shoulders, drawing him close.

His father only hesitated briefly before letting himself grab onto Ben, holding him as if he would never let him go.

"Papa…"Ben clung to him, suddenly realising how much he'd wanted this moment. "I'm not going anywhere."


	12. Chapter 12: Pleases and Thankyous

Emma was more than pleased to see Ben push open the front door and give her a big grin. She smiled back and let out a sigh. "Well I'm glad to see you're alright."

Ben shrugged. "Yeah. I guess I should thank you for… everything." He paused briefly, then stepped out and gave Emma a quick squeeze.

"Yeah, pretty much," Emma grinned, returning the hug. "Look I just wanted to check up on you. And to return this." She handed over Ben's suitcase. "I figured either way you'd need it."

Ben smiled at her again. It was impossible not to tell he was happy. "Don't worry. I'm staying."

Emma found herself smiling back. She'd been hoping he'd say that. "There isn't anything else you need a hand with?"

Ben face twisted into a half smile. "Nothing right now." He poked at the hole in his shirt. "The clothes are probably all I really needed." He shifted aside as Rumpelstiltskin came to stand beside him at the door.

"Miss Swan."

Emma nodded.

Ben glanced between the two, then broke into a grin and slapped his father on the shoulder.

Rumpelstiltskin looked momentarily startled before he realised the gesture was a display of affection.

"I might let you two talk," Ben said, and disappeared back inside with his suitcase.

"I'm glad this all worked out," Emma said. "For both of you."

"Yes, me too." Rumpelstiltskin glanced away briefly, his hands fiddling with the top of his cane. "Miss Swan, I wanted to thank you for finding Bae."

Emma sighed. "You don't need to. We had a deal, remember. And we can't go back on our deals, can we?"

"Yes, but I only asked you to _find_ him. I didn't ask you to give him a place to stay, and to help him try to get it through my thick head who he was."

Emma shrugged. "Well, maybe that runs in the family. I don't know how many times I told him to not go around antagonising you, but…"

Rumpelstiltskin gave a small smile. "Yes, well, I wish he'd told me sooner, but I can't blame him for my own actions. If you had not come after him when he came for the Knife…" he trailed off, then just let out a sigh and stared at his cane. "Thank you, Miss Swan."

Emma smiled. Despite her frustration with all that he'd done, it was genuine. "Kids are pretty forgiving, Rumpelstiltskin. Even when you don't think you deserve it. You'd think they weren't but… they'll surprise you."

"Yes, well, let's just say I'm very surprised."

"So…" Emma folded her arms. "Are we even? Or am I still in your debt?"

Rumpelstiltskin shook his head. "Most certainly not. If anything, I'm in yours…"

"Careful," Emma smiled. "I might think you mean that. Well, I'll leave you two to catch up." She turned around to leave.

"Wait," Rumpelstiltskin said, "there is one thing you can do for me…"

Emma closed her eyes briefly and let out a frustrated sigh. Why was she not surprised? She turned back around. "Is this still part of our deal?"

Rumpelstiltskin thought briefly. "No. I only asked for one favour… this is… something else…"

"In other words I'm under no obligation? Alright, out with it then…"

Rumpelstiltskin glanced behind him briefly. "The Knife. I…" He stared directly at Emma then, and seemed to steel himself. "I left it in the car. And the car…"

"The car is still in the woods," Emma finished for him.

Rumpelstiltskin nodded. "I'd ask you to take me to retrieve it, but if Bae finds out I was going after it… I don't know if it'll upset him or not, but I don't want to take the chance. If you could go get the car… or if not just the Knife? If you'd like, I'll owe you a…"

Emma shook her head and held up her hands. "You know what? I'm the sheriff, and if you've lost something it's kind of part of my job to help you find it… you don't have to owe me anything."

Rumpelstiltskin looked puzzled. "You're sure?" And a little suspicious.

"Yup. Look, I'll go get it now."

"Thankyou…"

She gave him a coy smile and waved then headed down to her car, leaving him standing on his porch still looking a little confused. Emma smirked to herself, deriving some small amusement from making the man uncomfortable with such a simple act of good will. She climbed in her car, and headed up the road into the woods.

* * *

Regina was in a dilemma. "Surely he wouldn't…" she muttered to herself. She stood just inside the tree line, but visible to the road. She could slip away at the first sound of traffic, and no one would even have known she was there.

When she'd seen magic had returned, she'd been elated. But, after a quick dry run in her house, before the inevitable angry mob had arrived, she'd realised she had a problem. The magic wouldn't work! Well, it kind of had… but looking at her dining table… which she had turned into a small pony, she didn't think it was going to do her any good. She'd meant for it to go up in flames. The risk had been too great.

So, she'd run (the pony had actually come in useful). She'd been hiding out in the woods. Not the most fun she'd ever had. Regina had grown too used to the comforts of the modern world. But she was determined. She'd survived, even if it meant a few sneaky trips into town to 'borrow' clothing or food, and she had not yet been caught.

She'd been regaining her command of magic. It had been difficult, and she was still not entirely confident in her abilities. But this…

Regina could sense its power even from here. She knew it was there. It would solve everything; she could take back control of the town. But why would Rumpelstiltskin leave it lying out here?

Regina drew in a breath to steady herself and strained her ears to hear the sound of traffic. Nothing. And it could not possibly be a trap. Not baited with something so precious.

Steeling herself, she stepped from the trees, marching determinedly towards the abandoned vehicle. She didn't even try the door handle, but smashed the driver's side window with the hilt of a dagger and opened it from the inside.

She could sense its power. She didn't need to rummage through the vehicle. Regina reached under the driver's chair and her hand immediately found it.

Regina grinned, and pulled out Rumpelstiltskin's Knife. "Oh, my dear…" She shook her head as she studied the blade, then she ran a finger along its edge. She flinched, as the ever sharp blade nicked her finger. Regina glanced at the drop of blood that formed, then stuck her finger in her mouth and sucked on it for a moment.

"Now why would you leave this here?" She returned her attention to the Knife, turning it over in her hands. "You're going to have to do everything I say." A grin touched her lips and a small laugh escaped. "I won't even have to say 'please'."

Regina looked up as she heard the sound of an engine approaching. When Emma's sheriff's vehicle pulled up, there was no sign the Queen had been there barely moments before. Save for the shattered car window.

* * *

**A/n : **I'm sorry! I can't help but end on cliffhangers! D: That's it, for now. I may or may not make a sequel. At the moment there are no plans to and I'm probably not going to be writing fanfic for a bit.

Thanks everyone for the reviews. I really liked getting them as have never really written for a fandom with so many fans, hence not used to getting so many reviews. ^_^ If you do review after America gets the second season, please don't spoil. I'm stuck in Australia and don't know when we're going to get it. D:


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